A cinephile will watch any movie while fully engaged in the theatre environment, with popcorn, of course. While some film buffs specialise in genres like film noir or independent historical fiction, others love any movie with a gripping, dramatic plot. Regardless of their particular interests, all cinephiles agree that watching a movie in a theatre is the best way to do it. The majority of moviegoers like films with clear plots that they can follow from the outset. But occasionally, as every cinephile will attest, watching a movie when nothing happens is just as thrilling as watching any other movie.
In fact, as Uproxx reveals, Netflix noticed a spike in The Office views during the early stages of the pandemic. Many people had a lot of downtime when the planet was initially quarantined. However, working from home quickly became the new standard, with some people watching The Office while they worked. Long before the pandemic struck about three years ago, people were enjoying this unhurried viewing on the big screen. Pauline at the Beach and the animated picture My Neighbor Totoro are examples of magical movies where nothing happens. However, films with no storyline have a purpose, similar to The Office while in quarantine: to let the audience unintentionally and carelessly enjoy a story. Here are the top movies with minimal action.
Amour
A married couple in their 80s named Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) and her husband Georges are the focus of the French love drama Amour (Jean-Louis Trintignant). They are former piano instructors who now reside in Paris. Following a necessary procedure, Anne is left with right-side paralysis. Georges takes on the role of her carer and brings in nurses when he is unable to. Unfortunately, Anne has a stroke and requires more care than Georges can provide.
Archipelago
Tom Hiddleston starred in a few movies with Joanna Hogg before becoming popular as an MCU anti-hero. Archipelago, which takes place on the Isles of Scilly, is one of these movies. To perform volunteer work for an organisation, Edward (Hiddleston) is preparing to depart for the African continent. His mother and sister offer to host a farewell gathering at their cottage on the Isles of Scilly before he departs.
Before Sunset
Before Sunset, the third film in director Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy, picks up nine years after the first meeting between Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Céline (Julie Deply). Jesse, a now-famous novelist, meets Céline by chance at a book reading while on a book tour around Europe. They talk about their lives since they first met in Vienna as they spend the day together in Paris. Céline is an environmentalist, and Jesse is married with a son.
Clerks
As explored by Den of Geek, Kevin Smith’s landmark directorial debut spawned a trilogy, a comic book series, and a TV show. The reason Clerks has been successful for almost three decades is that it is still applicable to those with dead-end jobs. In the movie, Dante (Brian O’Halloran) and Randall, his best buddy, try to fill their workday with as many activities as possible, including playing roof hockey. Local drug traffickers Silent Bob (Smith) and Jay (Jason Mewes) cause problems for Dante and Randall.
Inside Llewyn Davis
Inside Llewyn Davis, a Coen Brothers movie, features Oscar Isaac as Llewyn, a struggling folk performer in the 1960s. Llewyn arrives at his sister’s house after a series of couch-surfing trips and the rescue of a cat that refuses to be saved, only to be persuaded to give up his music career in favour of something more secure and lucrative. When his sister tells him he has a gig, he eventually gives up on music until he witnesses a young, unknown Bob Dylan perform.
L’Avventura
In L’Avventura, a sailing excursion across Sicily goes terribly wrong. When Anna (Lea Massari) mysteriously disappears, her best friend Claudia (Monica Vitti) and her lover Sandro (Gabrielle Ferzetti) decide to join their pals on a yacht. Claudia and Sandro fall for one another while looking for Anna. Despite Claudia’s treachery, she worries that Anna will come back and that Sandro will favour Anna over her.
Lost in Translation
Lost in Translation, starring Bill Murray and Scarlett JohanssonFocus Features Released by Sofia Coppola, Lost in Translation is a multi-genre early 2000s favourite with plenty of pastel wigs and karaoke set in Tokyo. Bob (Billy Murray) travels to a faraway nation to serve as the spokesperson for an established product because he is desperate to resurrect his acting career. He keeps running into Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) in their different hotels while he’s in Tokyo. The film’s final scene, when Bob whispers something into Charlotte’s ear before they part ways, is the most exciting scene because it was spontaneously created by Murray and Johansson and will always be kept between them as a secret.
My Neighbor Totoro
One of the most well-known films from Studio Ghibli is perhaps the third feature. The story of My Neighbor Totoro centres on two sisters who have just relocated to a new home near the hospital where their mother is recovering. Their antics include riding a cat-shaped bus in the pouring rain and assisting their crops to shoot upward. My Neighbor Totoro has the perfect amount of adventure, fantasy, comedy, drama, and slice of life that you need in one film, according to Sugoi Mart’s review of the movie.
Pauline at the Beach
Pauline (Amanda Langlet) and her cousin Marion (Arielle Dombasle) consider their ideal relationships while simultaneously going through the difficulties of those relationships while on a family summer vacation. Teenager Pauline observes as Marion and her more mature and experienced friends talk about love. Pauline thinks that love takes time to develop while Marion thinks it can happen instantly. Pauline at the Beach, another French movie on our list, is as languid as it is inventive.
Right Now, Wrong Then
Streaming services have long been dominated by South Korean movies. According to DW, South Korean stardom in Hollywood is referred to as “Hallyu.” The two-part movie Right Now, Wrong Then analyses the concept of a chance encounter between two people. A filmmaker named Ham Cheon-soo (Jae-young Jeong) meets Yoon Hee-jeong (Kim Min-hee), a local artist, during the opening act of the movie and falls in love with her right away. At a gallery opening, Yoon ends their close relationship with Ham. A shocking revelation occurs in the second half of the movie that you must watch to believe.
The Big Lebowski
Jeff Bridges played The Dude in The Big Lebowski before becoming the MCU’s first antagonist. The Dude enjoys bowling a lot and prefers to dress in loungewear even when not relaxing. Although he is not the first person to wear loose pants in public, The Big Lebowski’s success inspired the creation of the Dudeism religion, whose tenets are similar to those of Chinese Taoism, the philosophy of balance. However, dudeism uses comedy to support this balance.
The Station Agent
Actor Peter Dinklage played Finbar McBride in Tom McCarthy’s directorial debut, The Station Agent, before he rose to fame as Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones. Together with his best buddy Henry, Finbar runs a model train shop in Hoboken, New Jersey, where they both reside (Paul Benjamin). Despite his passion of railroads, he sticks to himself since he feels judged because of his height. He meets Emily (Michelle Williams), a librarian with a terrible relationship, and this all changes.
Tokyo Story
A retired couple named Shikichi and Tomi Hirayama, along with their daughter Kyoko (Kyoko Kagawa), reside in Japan. Tomi and Shkichi learn that their kids don’t have much time or energy for them while seeing their other kids in Tokyo. While their adult children are friendly, they are occupied with their own families’ upbringing and employment. In Tokyo Story, loneliness and ageing are issues that are examined.
