>Any movie that does well with critics or at a film festival has “a strong message” or “teaches us something”.
If you find that every time you watch a film festival movie you are being lectured too, I think it has more to do with your wife's film choices, not the indie circuit. Nicolas Cage's Pig was a very well received movie at plenty of film festivals last year, and it's just about a chef searching for a pig.
It's not here and there. Almost no art film lectures or has a strong message. It wouldn't be an art film if it did, in most cases, and art films are known for subtlety and conveying sophisticated emotion.
If you find that every time you watch a film festival movie you are being lectured too, I think it has more to do with your wife's film choices, not the indie circuit. Nicolas Cage's Pig was a very well received movie at plenty of film festivals last year, and it's just about a chef searching for a pig.