Some of cinema's most appealing films actually bypass conventional storytelling about complex characters and relationships with fast-paced plots. Films about mood, are a good opportunity for exploring characters as who they are, and a work where one pays more attention to the atmosphere than the plot. From the quiet streets of Tokyo to the desolate landscapes of the American heartland, these 20 films celebrate the beauty of life's fleeting moments and the art of subtlety in filmmaking.
1) Perfect Days (2023)
Wim Wenders' Perfect Days is the study of finding beauty in mundane things, from the perspective of a toilet cleaner, Hirayama, in his middle years in Tokyo. With less dialogue and an explicit plot, it only takes quiet observation and striking cinematography. Every encounter with some stranger passing by or that favorite cassette tape has the potential to be explored in themes about solitude and purpose. The film's meditative pace inspires viewers to introspect on the happiness of small moments in life.
2) Drive My Car (2021)
Introspective and three hours long, Drive My Car by Ryusuke Hamaguchi defies the ordinary storytelling of grief and self-discovery for a widowed actor-director on an extended theatre project in the company with a young driver. It is the silences and reflective dialogues, set against the background of themes of loss and connection that make it beautiful. Unlike a conventional plot, Drive My Car reveals its story with lingering conversations, mundane rides through a car, and unspoken tension between characters.
3) Nomadland (2020)
Chloé Zhao's Nomadland dispenses a moving story of self-discovery and resilience. In it, Frances McDormand plays Fern, the widow driving on the highways in her van, crossing paths with fellow nomads and their stories. Here, fiction intermingles with reality because the actual nomads live alongside the actors in an authentic atmosphere. Without a central plot, it unfolds as a series of vignettes that speak to loss, freedom, and community.
4) Paterson (2016)
Jim Jarmusch's Paterson is an ode to routine and creativity. The film tracks the lives of Paterson (played by Adam Driver), a bus driver and poet, and his quiet observations driving through New Jersey. A repetition of each day as the last one, though variations in subtleties—chance encounters, stray ideas—add their texture to his world. Jarmusch's minimalism in storytelling invites everyone to halt, look at, and search for poetry around one's life.
5) Days of Heaven (1978)
Terrence Malick's Days of Heaven is a visually stunning film that is more atmospheric than narrative. It tells the story of a love triangle between a farm laborer, his girlfriend, and a wealthy landowner set in the early 20th century. However, the plot takes a back seat to the film's cinematography capturing the golden-hued fields and ever-changing skies. Malick's preference for natural light and whispered voiceovers sets the atmosphere of the movie. It is more about the emotions the film evokes than about the story, thanks to its meditative pacing and visuals.
6) Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West reconfigures the Western genre by eliminating constant action, instead allowing mood, silence, and visuals to define it. While the plot is a revenge story in the context of railroad expansion secondary to iconic moments like a haunting note from a harmonica, endless desert landscapes, or piercing stares between characters, Ennio Morricone's score lifts each frame so that even small gestures become monumental.
7) Before Sunrise (1995)
Before Sunrise by Richard Linklater is about the exploration of connection and brief romance. The film traces the life of two strangers, Jesse and Céline, who meet on a train and choose to spend an evening roaming around Vienna. As there is no dramatic twist, the narrative takes its own shape in their talks, packed with philosophies, personal stories, and mutual vulnerability. It lies in the chemistry between Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, making the viewers feel they are listening to something intimate and personal.
8) Chungking Express (1994)
Wong Kar-wai’s Chungking Express weaves two loosely connected tales of love and longing in the bustling streets of Hong Kong. The film revolves around fleeting moments and emotions, told through the eyes of two heartbroken policemen. In no way does the film look at a structured plot and, instead, relies strongly on its colorful atmosphere, its quirky characters, and iconic use of music with "California Dreamin'. "
9) Lost in Translation (2003)
Sofiya Coppola's Lost in Translation is a movie concerning isolation and human relations. The movie, taking place in Tokyo, brings a fading actor, Bob Harris (Bill Murray), together with a young woman feeling lost in her life, Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson). This quiet shared time between the couple transcends the more traditionally focused plot development as it dwells on finding a certain solace in the companionship of the other person. Lost in Translation provides a haunting visual, evocative soundtrack, and an emphasis on mood over a fixed narrative.
10) Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)
Only Lovers Left Alive, the latest offering from Jim Jarmusch, is a melancholy, stylish take on the vampire theme: boring vampires with a passion for philosophy rather than gore and glory. The movie features two long-lived lovers, Adam (Tom Hiddleston) and Eve (Tilda Swinton), who just float through time listening to music, reading books, and pondering the nature of human culture. There's no real storyline; just moodiness and existential musings. Jarmusch makes a drowsy world in which the mundane—the playing of records or the drinking of blood from wine glasses—is made poetic.
11) Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021)
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is a whimsical, tender look at life's small wonders. The movie centers on Marcel, a tiny shell navigating his world with resilience and charm. It breaks all conventions, drifting through Marcel's daily life, his family search, and his observations of existence, told in stop-motion animation and mockumentary style. Marcel's gentle humor and childlike view inspire people to seek beauty in the ordinary, making it a tale of belonging, curiosity, and relationships.
12) The Rider (2017)
Chloé Zhao's The Rider is a semi-documentary take on the identity and purpose of young cowboy Brady, coping with an injury that ends his rodeo career. This takes place in the open skies and landscapes of South Dakota where Brady's quiet struggles with the world, his horse, and its end are highlighted. It was a study in raw emotional honesty, a take on the merits of the rider: masculinity, loss, and the search for meaning in a changed life.
13) Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is as much a loosely plotted tribute to 1960s Los Angeles rather than a plot-driven film, where the plot revolves around an aging actor and his stunt double navigating the swiftly changing nature of the filmmaking world. While the conclusion goes for some dramatic curveballs, most of the time is devoted to a love letter to Hollywood's golden age, where atmosphere and character supplant storytelling.
14) Dazed and Confused (1993)
As set during the last day of high school in 1976, Richard Linklater's film, Dazed and Confused, captures the fogginess of adolescence. Herein lies a large ensemble cast drift, drifting between parties and ceremonies for hazing rituals coupled with philosophical ramblings throughout, a take on youth culture, all shot to the brim with nostalgic and humorous elements along an equally unforgettable rock soundtrack. Without a plot, the movie lives by its true conversations and relatable moments, hence becoming an ode to all the transient, carefree chaos of teenage life that will live on forever.
15) Memoria (2021)
Memoria is a slow burn, by Apichatpong Weerasethakul, which rejects all traditional narrative structures. It is the story of Jessica Holland played by Tilda Swinton as a woman pursued by an unidentifiable noise that drives her through surreal Colombia. It's slow, with slow shots that lets go of the plot in favor of mood and sense experience. Long takes, along with ambiguous moments, give viewers space to take in the atmosphere of the movie. This movie possibly feels less like a film and more like a dream or art in Memoria, making viewers embrace the film's ambiguity on purpose.
16) Roger Dodger (2002)
Roger Dodger is a swift, dialogue-driven look at machismo and relationships. Following in the wake of New York City's nightlife comes ad executive cynic Campbell Scott as Roger and, his much younger cousin/adoptive nephew Nick played by Jesse Eisenberg: The movie tracks the rather flat, empty plot-line—just a series of conversations and interactions full of bite, tension, and insight—between Roger's self-importance and Nick's innocence. It's in this film where razor-sharp scripting and subtle performances bring interesting facets of character study instead of traditional storytelling.
17) The Station Agent (2003)
In Tom McCarthy's The Station Agent, the socially isolated train enthusiast Fin played by Peter Dinklage, settles into a deserted depot on some backcountry New Jersey reservation. Two unannounced visitors—the chatty vendor of a hot dog wagon named Bobby Cannavale, and Patricia Clarkson playing the shy painter—trouble his longing for isolation. The movie foregoes its traditional dramatic thread in favor of letting the two silent conversations of its central figures play out and give in to a developing sense of friendship.
18) The Cuckoo (2002)
The Cuckoo is a special war drama set against the backdrop of World War II, with three characters who do not have a common language. There is a Finnish sniper, a Soviet soldier, and a Sami woman who, getting stranded together in a cabin in the middle of nowhere, try to survive and understand each other in a few short words and lines, the film relies on a mere plot and dialogue. It's a powerful, moving drama about humanity and the absurdity of war; it lets the actors deliver and the Arctic scenery creates a narrative that speaks volumes.
19) Somewhere (2010)
Sofia Coppola's Somewhere is a slow exploration of fame and fatherhood. Johnny Marco is a jaded movie star wandering through his life of excesses until his 11-year-old daughter Cleo (Elle Fanning) spontaneously stays with him. Because there is no traditional plot to this film, it solely centers on Johnny's small and often mundane interactions with Cleo as they bond in their own isolation. Coppola's minimalistic style casts a light on the emptiness of celebrity life, bringing about themes of identity, connection, and quiet beauty to ordinary moments.
20) The Thin Red Line (1998)
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Terrence Malick's film, The Thin Red Line, presents an unconventional, philosophical version of a war movie - not about how to make war but how to do it. Told during World War II within the parameters of the Battle of Guadalcanal, it is neither about strategy nor victory but about the inner turmoil a soldier goes through. Malick's visual signature—lush jungles contrasted with violence—constitutes a haunting take on the nature of life and death. It is a movie that may possibly linger in minds long after the credits.
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