Minimalism movies and TV shows
The list contains the best, new and most relevant minimalism movies ordered by relevance. The recommendation service has sorted out art house, contemplative, melancholic, surreal, serious and psychological films and TV shows about / with minimalism, loneliness, existentialism, isolation, storytelling, melancholy, life & death, photograph, art and psychological drama plots mostly in Drama, Comedy and Horror genres shot in France, USA, Italy and other countries.
1615
TOP 10 movies tagged as minimalism: Stranger Than Paradise (1984), The Turin Horse (2011), Stalker (1979), Secret Ballot (2001), L'Eclisse (1962), The Witch (2015), Freedom (2001), The Stone (1992), The Herb of the Rat (2008), Mundane History (2009).
Best films
New films
| Mayfly (2025) | 5.9 | |
| Magic Hour (2025) | 7.1 | |
| Yellow (2025) | 6.6 | |
| Uncontained (2025) | 4.6 | |
| Broke (2025) | 6.1 |
List of minimalism movies
Genre: Drama
Country: Belgium, France
Duration: 202 min.
Story:
A lonely widowed housewife does her daily chores, takes care of her apartment where she lives with her teenage son, and turns the occasional trick to make ends meet. Slowly, her ritualized daily routines begin to fall apart.
Style:
slow cinema, sexy, experimental, sentimental, serious ...
Plot:
loneliness, minimalism, feminism, female protagonist, housewife, prostitution, prostitute, single mother, feminist, widow, chores, mother son relationship ...
Time:
70s, year 1975
Place:
europe, brussels, belgium, france, brussels belgium
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA, West Germany
Duration: 89 min.
Story:
Rootless Hungarian émigré Willie, his pal Eddie, and visiting sixteen-year-old cousin Eva always manage to make the least of any situation, whether aimlessly traversing the drab interiors and environs of New York City, Cleveland, or an anonymous ...
Style:
independent film, road movie, black and white, art house, contemplative ...
Plot:
minimalism, immigrant, road trip, on the road, hipster, immigration, slacker, dialogue, existentialism, coming of age, melancholy, culture clash ...
Time:
year 1984, 80s, 20th century
Place:
florida, new york, ohio, manhattan new york city, cleveland ohio ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: Hungary, France, Germany, Switzerland
Duration: 155 min.
Story:
A monumental windstorm and an abused horse's refusal to work or eat signals the beginning of the end for a poor farmer and his daughter.
Style:
slow cinema, thought provoking, bleak, black and white, serious ...
Plot:
horse, poverty, survival, destiny, nihilism, desperation, philosopher, everyday life, family relations, human nature, isolation, dying ...
Time:
19th century, distant future, turn of the century, year 2011, 90s ...
Place:
turin italy, europe, seattle
Is relevant?
155K
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: Soviet Union
Duration: 162 min.
Story:
Near a gray and unnamed city is the Zone, a place guarded by barbed wire and soldiers, and where the normal laws of physics are victim to frequent anomalies. A Stalker guides two men into the Zone, specifically to an area in which deep seeded ...
Style:
philosophical, atmospheric, bleak, art house, psychological ...
Audience:
family friendly, adult
Plot:
stalker, post apocalypse, dystopian future, surrealism, psychokinesis, dog, wish come true, trippy, human nature, distopia, escapades, post apocalyptic ...
Time:
future, distant future, year 1979, near future
Place:
soviet union, ussr, russia
Is relevant?
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Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: Iran, Italy, Canada, Switzerland
Duration: 123 min.
Story:
A female election agent and a gun-toting soldier try to collect votes among the local islanders with mixed success.
Style:
surreal, humorous, stylized, realistic, semi serious ...
Plot:
politics, satire, citizenship, visceral, soldier, campaign, heroes, state affairs, odd couple, political unrest, island, culture clash ...
Time:
year 2001
Place:
iran, middle east
Is relevant?
24K
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: Italy, France
Duration: 126 min.
Story:
A young woman meets a vital young man, but their love affair is doomed by the man's materialistic nature.
Style:
black and white, art house, philosophical, visual, neorealism ...
Plot:
stock broker, loneliness, sports car, minimalism, passion, art, love, great ending, existentialism, love story, unrequited love, crazy love ...
Time:
year 1962, 60s, 20th century
Place:
italy, rome italy, europe, los angeles, usa ...
Is relevant?
348K
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, Canada, USA
Duration: 92 min.
Story:
In 1630s New England, William and Katherine lead a devout Christian life with five children, homesteading on the edge of an impassable wilderness, exiled from their settlement when William defies the local church. When their newborn son vanishes and ...
Style:
dark, atmospheric, disturbing, scary, satanic ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
witch, supernatural, folk horror, curses spells and rituals, witchcraft, religion, wilderness, black magic, paganism, family bonds, isolation, sacrifice ...
Time:
17th century, 2010s, year 2015, year 2016, 19th century
Place:
new england, america, new hampshire, usa, canada
Is relevant?
986
Genre: Drama
Country: Argentina
Duration: 73 min.
Story:
A man chop down trees, organizes the trunks, cleans them, stops to defecate, lunch, nap and continues to sell their timber.
Style:
contemplative, art house, existential, meditative, road movie ...
Plot:
minimalism, survival, routine, slice of life, forest, rehearsal, tree, countryside, labor, solitude, nature, humble ...
Is relevant?
373
Genre: Drama, Fantasy
Country: Russia
Duration: 83 min.
Story:
Via the New York Times: "...a severely obscure meditation on pre-revolutionary Russia in the form of an encounter between a ghost from the past and the ghost's present-day guardian. In fact, the two characters seem to be the shade of Anton ...
Style:
psychological, melancholic, art film, philosophical, atmospheric ...
Plot:
minimalism, character study, lonely, memory, literary, meditation, identity, nostalgia, haunting, encounter, ghost story, museum ...
Place:
soviet union, crimea, ussr
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: Brazil
Duration: 80 min.
Story:
The names of the characters are pronouns. She is a teacher, with his father dead just three days ago. Faced with this situation, He intends to take care of her while He is alive. This is the beginning of an odd relationship.
Style:
psychological, disturbing, captivating, melancholic, surreal ...
Plot:
muse, minimalism, loneliness, grief, mourning, intimate, couple relations, family problems, relationships, male female relationship, care, lifestyle ...
Place:
rio de janeiro
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: Thailand
Duration: 82 min.
Story:
Explores the relationship between Ake, a young man who is paralyzed from the waist down after an accident, and Pun, the male nurse who takes care of him, and of course Ake's father. Ake is at first cold towards his nurse Pun, but as Pun ...
Style:
emotional, melancholic, art house, independent film
Plot:
paralysis, minimalism, gay relationship, disability, character study, sexual awakening, compassion, caregiver, realism, lgbtq, empathy, intimacy ...
Place:
bangkok thailand
Is relevant?
204
Genre: Drama
Country: Brazil, Chile, France
Duration: 87 min.
Story:
A daily, familiar, sexual and emotional drama. Based on the character Serginho, the plot is based around various aspects of this "no longer a boy, not yet a man". We follow his day to day: the recently acquired role of man of the house, ...
Style:
emotional, serious, touching, realistic, melancholic ...
Plot:
youth, coming of age, dysfunctional family, teenage life, family problems, family relations, parents and children, child as adult, teachers and students, minimalism, lgbt, everyday life ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
brazil
Is relevant?
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103K
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 81 min.
Story:
Several ordinary high school students go through their daily routine as two others prepare for something more malevolent. The film chronicles the events surrounding a school shooting.
Style:
disturbing, psychological, bleak, independent film, teen ...
Audience:
teens, teen drama
Plot:
school shooting, violence, teacher, bullying, teenage girl, mass murder, violent, high school, teenager, youth, school, rage ...
Time:
year 2003, near future, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
usa, oregon, ireland, portland oregon, california
Is relevant?
14K
Genre: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 81 min.
Story:
Robert Bresson plumbs great reservoirs of feelings with one of the most searing portraits of human desperation ever put on film.
Style:
art house, black and white, depressing, contemplative, emotional ...
Audience:
teens, pre-teens
Plot:
child abuse, coming of age, suicide, adolescence, minimalism, betrayal, sexual abuse, solitude, existentialism, children, poacher, humiliation ...
Time:
year 1967, 60s, 20th century
Place:
france, europe, japan, tokyo, paris france
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: France, Sweden
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
The story of a mistreated donkey and the people around him. A study on saintliness and a sister piece to Bresson's Mouchette.
Style:
black and white, depressing, art house, cerebral, philosophical ...
Plot:
parable, farm, minimalism, existentialism, cruelty, redemption, friendship, swing, european, spirit, countryside, saint ...
Time:
year 1966, 60s, 20th century
Place:
france, europe, tokyo
Is relevant?
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Country: France
Duration: 64 min.
Story:
A reconstruction of the trial of Joan of Arc based entirely on the transcripts of the real-life trial, concerning Joan's imprisonment, interrogation and final execution at the hands of the English.
Style:
contemplative, spiritual, powerful, depressing, fairy tale ...
Plot:
joan of arc, inquisition, burned alive, courtroom drama, medieval, burned at the stake, courtroom, minimalism, trial, martyrdom, biopic, witch hunt ...
Time:
middle ages, medieval times, 15th century, ancient times, year 1962
Place:
france, europe
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: Turkey, France, Italy
Duration: 109 min.
Story:
A family battles against the odds to stay together when small lies grow into an extravagant cover-up. In order to avoid hardship and responsibilities that would otherwise be impossible to endure, the family chooses to ignore the truth, not to see, ...
Style:
realistic, disturbing, serious, art house, feel good ...
Plot:
family relations, family secret, injustice, family life, hidden identity, innocence lost, workplace, boss and employee, life is a bitch, hidden truth, minimalism, politics ...
Place:
turkey, middle east, istanbul turkey, maghreb, balkan
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: UK, Switzerland, USA
Duration: 108 min.
Story:
A seductive alien prowls the streets of Glasgow in search of prey: unsuspecting men who fall under her spell.
Style:
surreal, creepy, dark, cult classic, atmospheric ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
alien, extraterrestrial, human prey, disguise, femme fatale, nudity, seduction, nightclub, creature, deformity, arthouse horror, female nudity ...
Time:
future, 2010s, year 2013, year 2014, 21st century
Place:
scotland, glasgow scotland, europe
Is relevant?
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Genre: Drama
Country: San Marino
Duration: 46 min.
Story:
Vague moving shapes framing the black screen could be anything, but what they depict is nothing.
Style:
experimental, art house, avant garde, contemplative, meditative ...
Plot:
minimalism, silence, experimental narrative, surrealism, dream, nihilism, perception, debut, video art, no dialogue
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, War
Country: France, Belarus, Belgium, Cyprus, Italy
Duration: 92 min.
Story:
Foreign Legion officer, Galoup, recalls his once glorious life, leading troops in the Gulf of Djibouti. His existence there was happy, strict and regimented, but the arrival of a promising young recruit, Sentain, plants the seeds of jealousy in ...
Style:
surreal, harsh, realistic, touching, serious ...
Plot:
foreign legion, gay, desert, obsession, military, military training, gay interest, discipline, french foreign legion, soldier, homoeroticism, existential loneliness ...
Time:
year 1999, 90s
Place:
africa, france, south africa, marseille, paris france ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: Iran, France
Duration: 114 min.
Story:
A collection of 24 short four-and-a-half minutes films inspired by still images, including paintings and photographs. An experimental project made by filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami in the last three years of his life.
Style:
experimental, anthology, slow cinema, poetic, philosophical ...
Plot:
painting, minimalism, reflection, photography, meditation, filmmaker, director, photographer, meaning of life, film industry, memory, life & death ...
Time:
year 2017
Place:
middle east, iran
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: Paraguay, Netherlands, Chile, Qatar
Duration: 77 min.
Story:
In precise, unhurried compositions of image and sound, Lamar’s feature debut portrays a man and his dying wife, living in a remote hut in the hills of Paraguay. All the stages of mourning are passed through in a single day in this wordless account ...
Style:
meditative, contemplative, slow cinema, melancholic, poignant ...
Plot:
death, minimalism, dying, solitude, mourning, grief, couples, character study, isolation, loss, companionship, intimate ...
Place:
paraguay
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: USA, Sweden
Duration: 87 min.
Story:
This enigmatic, mysterious minimalist feature, a collaboration between CalArts graduate C.W. Winter and photographer Anders Edström, combines elements of narrative fiction, documentary, and even installation art in depicting the daily routine of ...
Style:
art film, contemplative, experimental, slow cinema, art house ...
Plot:
isolation, island, solitude, minimalism, forest, silence, character study, female protagonist, portrait, wind, ritual, weather ...
Is relevant?
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370
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK, Ireland
Duration: 84 min.
Story:
Hamm is blind and unable to stand; Clov, his servant, is unable to sit; Nagg and Nell are his father and mother, who are legless and live in dustbins. Together they live in a room with two windows, but there may be nothing at all outside.
Style:
surreal, absurd, bleak, art house, black comedy ...
Plot:
blindness, absurdism, isolation, mortality, waiting, minimalism, existentialism, loneliness, dark humor, hopelessness, entrapment, mature ...
Place:
ireland
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy
Country: Japan
Duration: 29 min.
TV show
Story:
Mai Yururi decides to get rid of her old books, memorabilia, furniture and clothes. Everything around her room, except the basic necessities. Her friend visits her place and is shocked that her place is empty. Mai realizes how good it feels to get ...
Style:
feel good, semi serious, satirical, captivating, reflective ...
Plot:
female protagonist, minimalism, friends, social problems, relationships, lifestyle change, changing lives, satire, social satire, lifestyle, social issues, friendship ...
Is relevant?
104K
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Country: Soviet Union
Duration: 167 min.
Story:
A psychologist is sent to a space station orbiting a planet called Solaris to investigate the death of a doctor and the mental problems of cosmonauts on the station. He soon discovers that the water on the planet is a type of brain which brings out ...
Style:
art house, atmospheric, cerebral, enigmatic, philosophical ...
Audience:
teens, adult
Plot:
outer space, scientist, metaphysics, space travel, space and aliens, space station, dream, trapped in space, astronaut, loneliness, science, philosophy ...
Time:
distant future, 70s, future, year 1972
Place:
soviet union, ussr, russia, tokyo
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: Sweden
Duration: 92 min.
Story:
As Agnes slowly dies of cancer, her sisters are so deeply immersed in their own psychic pains that they can't offer her the support she needs. Maria is wracked with guilt at her husband's suicide, caused by his discovery of her ...
Style:
touching, depressing, cerebral, visually stunning, psychological ...
Plot:
cancer, maid, terminal illness, art, family relations, dying, nordic, women, existentialism, obsession, marriage, dialogue ...
Time:
19th century, turn of the century, 1900s, 90s, year 1972 ...
Place:
scandinavia, eastern europe
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Horror, Thriller
Country: France, Germany, Japan, Luxembourg
Duration: 101 min.
Story:
Scientist Shane Brown neglects his new bride, instead spending their honeymoon searching for an old colleague who disappeared after a research paper he had written was discredited by the medical community. It turns out that Dr. Semeneau is living in ...
Style:
bloody, disturbing, sexual, scary, psychological ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
violence, vampire, sex, gory, cannibal, cannibalism, murder, wanting to die, chambermaid, bloodbath, flesh eating, masturbation ...
Time:
year 2001, turn of the century
Place:
paris france, france, europe, ghana
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Horror
Country: France, Germany
Duration: 119 min.
Story:
David, an independent photographer, and Katia, an unemployed woman, leave Los Angeles, en route to the southern California desert, where they search a natural set to use as a backdrop for a magazine photo shoot. They find a motel in the town of ...
Style:
sexy, road movie, psychological, erotic, sexual ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
desert, road trip, male nudity, sex scene, murder, female pubic hair, woman urinating, public nudity, explicit sex, human nature, male full rear nudity, car chase ...
Time:
year 2003, 2000s
Place:
usa, california
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Country: Thailand, France, Germany, Italy
Duration: 118 min.
Story:
A romance between a soldier and country boy splinters into a mythical venture based on Thai folklore.
Style:
surreal, slow cinema, serious, psychological, atmospheric ...
Plot:
gay, shaman, jungle, friendship, mysticism, lgbt, shapeshifting, gay love, male nudity, bare chested male, love and romance, human nature ...
Time:
year 2004, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
thailand, asia, bangkok thailand, indiana
Is relevant?
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