Just when most of the moviegoing pubic is suffering from superhero overload, along comes this little indie to offer hope for the fading genre.

Mona (Jeon Jong-seo) is a Korean American girl in her early 20s who seems to be able to make people do things. She doesn’t understand how these powers work, but uses them to escape from the New Orleans mental institution where she’s lived for the past decade and try to make it on the streets of the Big Easy.

She finds benefactors in a face-tattooed maybe drug dealer (a terrific Ed Skerin) and a stripper whose heart may not be entirely of gold (Kate Hudson). Their story arcs are delightfully surprising, The director is Lily Amirpour, whose knowing movies are about women navigating in men’s worlds. Her previous efforts include A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, The Bad Batch and A Little Suicide.

You couldn’t make me watch a Marvel flick. I’ve Xed out X-Men, banned Batman, shunned Superman and sworn off Spiderman spinoffs. But I had a blast at this subversive little gem. (106 min)

Check it out in theaters here.