https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primer_(film)

Disco Elysium

https://store.steampowered.com/app/972660/Spiritfarer_Farewell_Edition/

Its fantastic.

What Remains of Edith Finch. Is that a 'small' enough game? Affected me deeply, tho.

Hollow Knight! Got me into indie games.

Cube.

https://youtu.be/shcK9b-TQIo

Made for $365,000 Canadian.

Disco Elysium

Journey!

Primer. Like $12k budget, mostly cost of film.

Games:

• To the Moon
• Gris
• Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
• This War of Mine
• Inked: A Tale of Love
• Papers, Please

Movies (this list I had to think about for a while...):

• 50/50 (2011)
• Amour (2012)
• The Station Agent (2003)
• Columbus (2017)
• The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)

Books:

• The Bookshop
• The Lives of Others

Edit: spelling

Most indie games will end up better than pretty much every AAA title. The best games I've played in the last decade were either indie or AA.

Roboquest, Pathfinder WotR, Dyson Sphere Program, Outer Wilds, Balatro, Helldivers 2, Deep Rock Galactic, Rogue Trader, Darktide, Abiotic Factor, Rimworld, Stellaris, DV Rings of Saturn, Hardspace Shipbreaker, Voices of the Void, Expedition 33, Blue Prince, Tiny Glade, Witchfire, Instruments of Destruction, Heart of the Machine, Tainted Grail Fall of Avalon, A Webbing Journey, Planet Crafter, Kenshi, X4, Ultrakill, Schedule 1, the list goes on.

All amazing games, none of them AAA.

Thomas was alone. Never have I had such strong feelings for a bunch squares and rectangles

TUNIC
It's a good game in general, but

Man from Earth.

Coherence.

Unpacking (game)

Dear Esther

Small indie film? Dear Zachary is a documentary produced on a shoestring budget, and it is an absolutely devastating piece of art. Just thinking about the film puts a lump in my throat.

17776, especially the start and end (you do not need to care about American football at all to enjoy this story)

SIGNALIS (indie horror game). Very good, scary, I cried. Strongly recommend.

DELTARUNE. toby's been changing my brain chemistry for 10+ years now

Games: INSIDE, We Happy Few

I thought a game like To The Moon would have been high up, but everyone has their own tastes.

Though, I will say, the sequel, Finding Paradise, is definitely worth it and is my choice. Even with the little bits of comedy and things that take away from the seriousness of the story, it's still an amazing story. Just as good as To The Moon, if you ask me.

This post kinda implies that OP thinks the default is that blockbusters have more soul and hits people harder than indie and passion projects, which is the opposite of the truth. Art made by fewer people generally has more soul and a stronger personality which translates to feelings by the person experiencing the art. They aren't put through a grinder of corporate bullshit to not be offensive or say anything of actual value.

Applying the term "Indie" to a book feels interesting to me, because almost all books, even ones that are part of intensely popular franchises, are written by a single author - so in a sense, all books are Indy.

Of course team size is only one aspect. There's also budget and commercial involvement. But budget doesn't have to be a constraining factor for books the way it is for movies. And if you're the only person pushing the keyboard keys then you are the one with ultimate creative control.

If you are a penniless author and publish a hit and get rich, does your next book then stop being indie, even though it's still just you? Or maybe it's no longer indie because your circumstances have changed.

John Langan's "The Fisherman". Its a cosmic/folk horror novel but also a powerful meditation on loss and grief.

Before Your Eyes. I was going through some major stuff at the time and I'll associate the game with that summer forever. It has a very unique mechanic and it ties into the game really well without feeling like a gimmick. Takes about 3 hours to complete, so not a huge investment either.

Chappie might be borderline, but it goes so hard emotionally for a movie that basically had no critical reception.

Honestly, all of them.

Game no one's mentioned yet: Look Outside

Mine is music and the answer is essentially literally any Indy band that I like, I like WAY more than any mainstream artist.

but like I have several Indy bands that do different styles, so I don't know what my actual taste is.
here's my recent plays if anyone wants to tell me :)