12 Great Films Featuring Minimal Action

      Here are 12 remarkable films where not much happens... or does it?

      There’s a scarcity of car chases, murders, explicit scenes, or explosions.

      Yet, lives undergo quiet transformations.

      **Lost in Translation (2003)**

      Focus Features – Credit: C/O

      In Tokyo, newlywed Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) and jaded actor Bob (Bill Murray) cross paths at a hotel, engaging in conversation and karaoke. The ambiance is both melancholic and stunning.

      We wonder if they will leave their partners — yet we feel a sense of gratitude when they don’t. Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation celebrates fleeting, profound moments that might never be replicated, and perhaps shouldn’t be.

      By the end, Bob locates Charlotte in the crowd. They share a gaze, embrace, and he whispers something inaudible. Their kiss feels entirely platonic. They are friends.

      **The Power of the Dog (2021)**

      Netflix

      Jane Campion’s film appeared to be a strong contender for Best Picture in 2022 before CODA took the title in a unique, pandemic-affected year.

      On the surface, it presents a slow, deliberate tale about a widow (Kirsten Dunst), her kind suitor and future husband (Jesse Plemons), her sensitive, intellectual son (Kodi Smit-McPhee), and her harsh brother-in-law (Benedict Cumberbatch).

      For much of the film, it seems we are watching a thoughtful Western, possibly with a modern take on the 2020s theme of “toxic masculinity.” But as it progresses, we come to understand it is a different kind of story — one harsher than we initially perceived. It makes a bold, insightful shift in tone, earning our respect.

      **Dazed and Confused (1993)**

      Gramercy Pictures – Credit: Gramercy Pictures

      The quintessential hangout film, Dazed and Confused follows a group of high school seniors on graduation night as they wander around and plan to attend a party at the Moontower. There’s some fighting, bullying, flirting, and vandalism of mailboxes. Football star Randall “Pink” Floyd (Jason London) faces the decision of whether to sign a pledge against drugs.

      That’s it. No fatalities, no explosions, no elaborate heists. Yet, it’s pure joy, launching the careers of Ben Affleck, Parker Posey, and Matthew McConaughey, and it remains the ultimate hangout movie. Quentin Tarantino has hailed it as his favorite film of the 90s.

      Dazed and Confused stands as one of several deceptively simple Richard Linklater films where seemingly ordinary days turn out to be the most memorable of our lives.

      And, speaking of Tarantino…

      **Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)**

      Sony Pictures Releasing

      This film presents a slice-of-life story about actress Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), her burned-out actor neighbor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), and Dalton’s buddy-stuntman-assistant Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt).

      The narrative takes us on a gentle journey through three days of their lives — at one point, we accompany Sharon on a solo outing to the cinema — but writer-director Quentin Tarantino knows little action is needed to propel the story…

      … Because we remain at the edge of our seats, constantly reminded of the tragic fate we know awaits the real Sharon Tate. Anticipating the event onscreen. Horrified.

      Minor acts of violence precede the dramatic climax when Cliff confronts both Bruce Lee (Mike Moh) and Tex Watson (Austin Butler).

      When the chilling conclusion arrives, it is not what we anticipated.

      **Perfect Days (2023)**

      Koji Yakusho and Arisa Nakano in Perfect Days. DCM

      The latest addition to our list, Perfect Days centers on a Tokyo toilet custodian named Hirayama (Kōji Yakusho), who navigates his simple life through mix tapes, good literature, and a passion for photography.

      This intriguing, captivating film explores how to find meaning in an apparently simple existence. Various individuals enter his life, seemingly poised to make significant changes, yet he finds solace in his routines.

      Its impressive credentials include a debut at the 76th Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Palme d’Or and earned both the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury and Best Actor Award for Yakusho. It was also nominated for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.

      **Before Sunset (2004)**

      Warner Independent Pictures

      Another Linklater gem, this sequel to Before Sunrise could equally belong on this list. Jesse and Celine (Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, who co-wrote the film with Linklater and Kim Krizan) reunite in Paris nearly a decade after their evening together in Vienna from Before Sunrise