In 1991, River Phoenix appeared in two movies: Gus Van Sant’s “My Own Private Idaho” and Nancy Savoca’s “Dogfight.” Coming off an Oscar nomination for “Running on Empty” a few years prior and a small role in 1989’s top worldwide box office hit, “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” Phoenix was riding high in Hollywood and surely had his pick of big-budget or prestige pictures to star in. The young actor, though, chose to participate in two films spearheaded by independent cinema directors.