Minimalist film
Minimalist film is related to the art and philosophy of minimalism with films.
Background
In film, minimalism usually is associated with filmmakers such as Robert Bresson, Chantal Akerman, Carl Theodor Dreyer, and Yasujirō Ozu. Their films typically tell a simple story with straightforward camera usage and minimal use of score. Paul Schrader named their kind of cinema: "transcendental cinema".[1]
Currently a commitment to minimalist filmmaking can be seen in film movements such as Dogme 95, mumblecore, and the Romanian New Wave. Abbas Kiarostami,[2] Elia Suleiman,[3] and Kelly Reichardt are also considered minimalist filmmakers.
The Minimalists – Joshua Fields Millburn, Ryan Nicodemus, and Matt D'Avella – directed and produced the film Minimalism: A Documentary,[4] which showcased the idea of minimal living in the modern world.
Notable filmmakers
This type of film includes the works of directors like:
- Michelangelo Antonioni[5]
- James Benning[6]
- Robert Bresson[7]
- John Carpenter[8][9]
- John Cassavetes[10]
- Paul Driessen[11]
- Morgan Fisher[12]
- Hollis Frampton[13]
- Ernie Gehr[14]
- Larry Gottheim[15]
- John Derrick Goze[16]
- Don Hertzfeldt[17]
- Walter Hill[18]
- Jim Jarmusch[19]
- Abbas Kiarostami[20][21]
- Louis Malle[22]
- Norman McLaren[23]
- Yasujirō Ozu[24][25]
- Jafar Panahi[26]
- Kelly Reichardt[27]
- Peter Roehr[28]
- Gus van Sant[29][30]
- Don Siegel[31]
- Michael Snow[32][33]
- Alexander Sokurov[34]
- Tsai Ming-Liang[35]
- Andy Warhol[36]
- Chloé Zhao[37]
List of notable minimalist films
1920-1949
| Year | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1928 | The Passion of Joan of Arc[38] | Carl Theodor Dreyer |
| 1940 | Dots | Norman McLaren |
| 1946 | Paisan[39] | Roberto Rossellini |
| 1948 | Rope[40] | Alfred Hitchcock |
| 1949 | I Shot Jesse James[41] | Samuel Fuller |
| 1949 | Begone Dull Care[42] | Evelyn Lambart and Norman McLaren |
1950-1959
| Year | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Gerald McBoing Boing[43] | Robert Cannon |
| 1953 | Monsieur Hulot's Holiday[44] | Jacques Tati |
| The Tell Tale Heart[45] | Ted Parmelee | |
| Tokyo Story[46] | Yasujirō Ozu | |
| 1954 | Billy Boy[47] | Tex Avery |
| 1955 | The Big Combo[48] | Joseph H. Lewis |
| Ordet[49] | Carl Theodore Dreyer | |
| 1956 | A Man Escaped[50] | Robert Bresson |
| Invasion of the Body Snatchers | Don Siegel | |
| The Red Balloon[51] | Albert Lamorisse | |
| 1957 | 12 Angry Men[52] | Sidney Lumet |
| 1958 | Elevator to the Gallows[53] | Louis Malle |
| Murder by Contract | Irving Lerner | |
| 1959 | Plan 9 from Outer Space[54] | Ed Wood |
1960-1969
| Year | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Surogat[55] | Dušan Vukotić |
| 1962 | An Autumn Afternoon[56] | Yasujirō Ozu |
| Eegah[57] | Arch Hall Sr. | |
| 1963 | Winter Light[58] | Ingmar Bergman |
| 1964 | Diamonds of the Night[59] | Jan Němec |
| Fail Safe[60] | Sidney Lumet | |
| Red Desert[61] | Michelangelo Antonioni | |
| 1966 | Au hasard Balthazar[62] | Robert Bresson |
| 1967 | Mouchette[63] | |
| Playtime | Jacques Tati | |
| Wavelength[64][65] | Michael Snow | |
| 1968 | The Fly[66] | Vladimir Jutrisa and Aleksandar Marks |
| 2001: A Space Odyssey[67] | Stanley Kubrick | |
| Surface Tension[68] | Hollis Frampton | |
| 1969 | Bambi Meets Godzilla[69] | Marv Newland |
| Lemon[70] | Hollis Frampton |
1970-1979
1980-1989
1990-1999
2000-2009
2010-2019
2020 onwards
See also
- Arthouse animation
- Maximalist film
- Postmodernist film
- Slow cinema
- Minimalist music
- Art film
- American Eccentric Cinema
- Modernist film
- Arthouse musical
- Vulgar auteurism
- American independent cinema
- Structural film
References
- ^ Paul Schrader on Revisiting Transcendental Style in Film. 2017 Toronto International Film Festival – via YouTube.
- ^ "Taste of Cherry". Cinematheque. Cleveland Institute of Art. September 2016. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
- ^ Gautaman Bhaskaran (2019-10-23). "It Must Be Heaven: Elia Suleiman's sardonic take on the world". Arab News. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
- ^ "Films by The Minimalists". The Minimalists. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
- ^ The Master of Minimalism / Retrospective of filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni's innovative films spans six decades - SFGATE
- ^ The Love Witch director Anna Biller: ‘I’m in conversation with the pornography all around us’|Movies|The Guardian
- ^ The Films Of Robert Bresson: A Retrospective|IndieWire
- ^ Movies Don’t Scare Me: A Decade of John Carpenter|In Review Online
- ^ a b John Carpenter: Father of the Slasher Film | The VICE Guide To Film - VICE on YouTube
- ^ HUSBANDS: Saturdays are for the Boys - Hyperreal Film Club
- ^ a b "Cartoons Considered For An Academy Award – 1977 -". cartoonresearch.com.
- ^ One Sound After Another: Film and West Coast Minimalism|Walker Art Center
- ^ A Hollis Frampton Odyssey Blu-ray Review | High Def Digest
- ^ J. Hoberman on Ernie Gehr - Artfourm International
- ^ Light Cone - FIVE FILMS BY LARRY GOTTHEIM
- ^ "Moonwriter's official website". Moonwriter's official website. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
- ^ The Burden of Other People's Thoughts: Don Hertzfeldt Talks ‘World of Tomorrow Episode Two’|Animation World Network
- ^ Talking Screens, December 16-22, 2022: “All The Beauty and The Bloodshed” is One of the Year’s Finest | “Bardo” is a Small Story Told on an Immense Canvas - Newcity Film
- ^ FILM VIEW; The Giddy Minimalism of Jim Jarmusch - The New York Times
- ^ Abbas Kiarostami: Life as Art|BAMPFA
- ^ What Makes Kiarostami a Modern Master? Start Here - The New York Times
- ^ Louis Malle: Docs
- ^ Norman McLaren - Google Books (pg.140)
- ^ The Beginner's Guide: Yasujiro Ozu, Director|Film Inquiry
- ^ The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, Directed by The Archers|Talk Cinema
- ^ Review: From Iran, '3 Faces' Finds Nuance In The Clash Of Old And New : NPR
- ^ Kelly Reichardt: Powerfully Observant|MoMA
- ^ Pop cinema: aesthetic conversations between art and the moving-image - ERA
- ^ Minimalism and art-cinema narration in Gus van Sant's Gerry, Elephant and Last Days - Iowa State University
- ^ The Tarkovsky legacy: Andrei Tarkovsky and his arthouse impact|Sight & Sound|BFI
- ^ Clint Eastwood: Immovable Boulder|In Review Online
- ^ Light Cone - Michael Snow
- ^ Michael Snow obituary: Canadian giant of experimental cinema|BFI
- ^ Bloomsbury Collections - The Cinema of Alexander Sokurov
- ^ Goodbye, Dragon Inn - Metrograph
- ^ Warhol Film Screening——Minimalism and Seriality: Part II|Whitney Museum of American Art
- ^ The art of Chloe Zhao, Arts - THE BUSINESS TIMES
- ^ 10 Great Minimalist Films That Are Worth Your Time - Taste of Cinema - Page 2 - Taste of Cinema
- ^ Paisan (1946) - filmsite.org
- ^ Best Minimalist Movies|12 Top Minimalism Films Ever - Cinemaholic
- ^ The Crimson Kimono - Trailers From Hell
- ^ Begone Dull Care – Senses of Cinema
- ^ 100 Greatest Animated Shorts / Gerald McBoing Boing / Robert Cannon - Skwigly Animation Magazine
- ^ Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (1953) - filmsite.org
- ^ When Magoo Flew - Google Books (pg.106)
- ^ An exploration of foreign films: Unique cinematography and minimalist themes distinguish ‘Tokyo Story’|The Stanford Daily
- ^ Tex Avery Screwball Classics Volume 3 - Trailers From Hell
- ^ The Naked Prey - Trailers From Hell
- ^ Review|This '50s Danish flick will keep you on your toes - The Crimson White
- ^ 10 essential films from the 'Minimalist' genre|Far Out Magazine
- ^ The Red Balloon (1956, Fr.) (aka Le Ballon Rouge) - filmsite.org
- ^ 10 Great Minimalist Films That Are Worth Your Time - Taste of Cinema - Page 2 - Taste of Cinema
- ^ Elevator to the Gallows - Criterion Collection - IGN
- ^ Is this the worst film ever made? - BBC Culture
- ^ Visitors from the Arkana Galaxy - Trailers from Hell
- ^ Yasujiro Ozu: like Austen, he tells the same satisfying story again and again|Movies|The Guardian
- ^ Eegah - Trailers From Hell
- ^ 10 Great Movies Featuring Minimalist Storytelling - Taste of Cinema
- ^ Diamonds of the Night (1964) - filmsite.org
- ^ Fail Safe - Trailers From Hell
- ^ Industrial Arts: Michelangelo Antonioni's Red Desert and Minimalism and Land Art - National Gallery of Art
- ^ Best Minimalist Movies|12 Top Minimalism Films Ever - Cinemaholic
- ^ 10 Great Minimalist Films That Are Worth Your Time - Taste of Cinema
- ^ The Complete Works of Influential Experimental Filmmaker Michael Snow Come to New York - Hyperallergic
- ^ Artist of the week 20: Michael Snow|Culture|The Guardian
- ^ Animafest Zagreb’s Reanimation of Aleksandar Marks (GoCritic! Review)|Zippy Frames
- ^ Every Stanley Kubrick Movie, Ranked By Rewatchability - Screen Rant
- ^ In Hollis Frampton's 'Surface Tension', a Stroll Through 1968 New York, in 160 Seconds - The New York Times
- ^ Spike & Mike's Animation Fest Is Back - The Santa Barbara Independent
- ^ Scott MacDonald on Hollis Frampton - Artfourm International
- ^ Ernie Gehr's 'Serene Velocity', 'The Red Shoes', 'Dog House' and more: Beyond the Multiplex - oregonlive.com
- ^ Duel at 50: Steven Spielberg's debut remains a ferocious thriller|Steven Spielberg|The Guardian
- ^ Brief Descriptions and Expanded Essays of Titles at National Film Registry
- ^ 20 Minimalist Movies Which Redefined Film-Making - Storypick
- ^ Fantastic Planet - Trailers From Hell
- ^ EXCLUSIVE: WATCH A RESTORED CULT ANIMATED SHORT FROM MARCELL JANKOVICS|Austin Film Society
- ^ 10 Best Movies About Philosophy, Ranked - Screen Rant
- ^ Grey Gardens: Honest, Minimalist Cinema - The Cornell Daily Sun
- ^ Best Minimalist Movies|12 Top Minimalism Films Ever - Cinemaholic
- ^ Assault on Precinct 13 — John Carpenter|In Review Online
- ^ The 10 Most Cinematic Movies With Minimalist Plot — Page 2 — Taste of Cinema
- ^ 10 Great Minimalist Films That Are Worth Your Time - Taste of Cinema - Page 2 - Taste of Cinema
- ^ A Century of Inspiration - The American Cinematographer
- ^ DRIVER, THE (4K UHD REVIEW) - The Digital Bits
- ^ "Horror's Minimalist Masterpiece: 'Halloween'".
- ^ 10 Movies That Did Wonders With a Budget of Under $1 Million|Collider
- ^ Repast is prologue - Los Angeles Times
- ^ Androgyny and aliens in eighties cult film 'Liquid Sky' on Amazon Prime Video - Stream On Demand
- ^ 'Koyaanisqatsi' renews emotion in minimalist film - Deseret News
- ^ Charade: Lessons in Creative Vision from a 1984 College Student - The Atlantic
- ^ 20 Minimalist Movies Which Redefined Film-Making - Storypick
- ^ 39 Years Later, Gen-Z Is Making One Perfect Rock Movie Into A Smash Hit - Fatherly
- ^ 10 Great Movies Featuring Minimalist Storytelling - Taste of Cinema
- ^ 10 Great Minimalist Films That Are Worth Your Time - Taste of Cinema
- ^ Luxo Jr. Pencil Test: Emotional storytelling in wire frames|The Kids Should See This
- ^ Every Stanley Kubrick Movie, Ranked By Rewatchability - Screen Rant
- ^ 10 Great Minimalist Films That Are Worth Your Time - Taste of Cinema - Page 2 - Taste of Cinema
- ^ The Cinema of Richard Linklater - Google Books (pg.20)
- ^ 10 Essential Aki Kaurismaki Films - High On Films
- ^ Best Minimalist Movies|12 Top Minimalism Films Ever - Cinemaholic
- ^ 10 Essential Aki Kaurismaki Films - High On Films
- ^ Whit Stillman In Person - Metrograph
- ^ The 10 Most Cinematic Movies With Minimalist Plot — Taste of Cinema
- ^ Clerks: 10 Ways It Established Kevin Smith's Style|ScreenRant
- ^ Best Minimalist Movies|12 Top Minimalism Films Ever - Cinemaholic
- ^ Safe: Nowhere to Hide|Current|The Criterion Collection
- ^ “It’s a Pretty Unambiguous Condemnation of a New Age Answer to Life’s Problems”: Writer/Director Todd Haynes on Safe|Filmmaker Magazine
- ^ Look of the Week: the sleek futuristic minimalism of Gattaca|SYFY WIRE
- ^ Minimalism Takes Flight : Hyperallergic
- ^ TASTE OF CHERRY|Cleveland Institute of Art
- ^ Maslin, Janet (September 15, 1999). "'American Beauty': Dad's Dead, and He's Still a Funny Guy". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
- ^ a b 10 Minimalist Horror Movies|The Young Folks
- ^ Best Minimalist Movies|12 Top Minimalism Films Ever - Cinemaholic
- ^ 20 Minimalist Movies Which Redefined Film-Making - Storypick
- ^ 10 modern movies inspired by Italian noerealism|Far Out Magazine
- ^ 10 Great Movies Featuring Minimalist Storytelling - Taste of Cinema
- ^ The 10 Most Cinematic Movies With Minimalist Plot — Page 2 — Taste of Cinema
- ^ 20 Minimalist Movies Which Redefined Film-Making - Storypick
- ^ Gerry|NW Film Center
- ^ Abbas Kiarostami: sophisticated, self-possessed master of cinematic poetry|Abbas Kiarostami|The Guardian
- ^ When Comedy Films Are Scary - arts, ink.
- ^ Best Minimalist Movies|12 Top Minimalism Films Ever - Cinemaholic
- ^ Brick: How Rian Johnson Used Film Noir to Depict High School - MovieWeb
- ^ 20 Minimalist Movies Which Redefined Film-Making - Storypick
- ^ A Brief Introduction to the Remarkable Films of Kelly Reichardt|AnOther Magazine
- ^ Todd Haynes’s Out-of-Time City Symphony “Wonderstruck” Lives Up to Its Name - The Village Voice
- ^ Best Minimalist Movies|12 Top Minimalism Films Ever - Cinemaholic
- ^ Baghead - CINEMABLEND
- ^ Baghead - Paste
- ^ 10 Films That Prove That Silence Is Golden|Collider
- ^ A Brief Introduction to the Remarkable Films of Kelly Reichardt|AnOther Magazine
- ^ 20 Minimalist Movies Which Redefined Film-Making - Storypick
- ^ Interview: “Beyond The Black Rainbow” Director Panos Cosmatos Talks His Bizarre Sci-Fi/Horror Fever Dream|Complex
- ^ BEYOND THE BLACK RAINBOW — Film Review — ZekeFilm
- ^ Winter's Bone: How the Barren Sights and Sounds Create Fear|Collider
- ^ 20 Most Underrated Movies of the Decade (2010–2019) - The Cinemaholic
- ^ Best Minimalist Movies|12 Top Minimalism Films Ever - Cinemaholic
- ^ 10 essential films from the 'Minimalist' genre|Far Out Magazine
- ^ The 50 Best First Films Ever Made - MTV
- ^ The 10 Best Modern Ambient Films - Page 2 - Taste of Cinema
- ^ Unconventional Excitement: 10 Best Action Movies Without Fistfights, Shootouts, or Car Chases|Collider
- ^ 20 Minimalist Movies Which Redefined Film-Making - Storypick
- ^ Best Minimalist Movies|12 Top Minimalism Films Ever - Cinemaholic
- ^ 20 Minimalist Movies Which Redefined Film-Making - Storypick
- ^ 20 Minimalist Movies Which Redefined Film-Making - Storypick
- ^ 10 Great Minimalist Films That Are Worth Your Time - Taste of Cinema
- ^ Toronto Review: Godfrey Reggio Celebrates 30 Years Since 'Koyaanisqatsi' With Extraordinary Philip Glass-Scored 'Visitors'|IndieWire
- ^ After Koyaanisqatsi, Godfrey Reggio's Visitors : The Conversation
- ^ Jim Jarmusch|AV Club
- ^ The Killing of a Sacred Deer - Trailers From Hell
- ^ The 10 Most Cinematic Movies With Minimalist Plot — Taste of Cinema
- ^ 20 Minimalist Movies Which Redefined Film-Making - Storypick
- ^ Film of the week:Certain Women, Kelly Reichardt's minimalist Montana triptych|BFI
- ^ ‘My Life As A Zucchini’ Director Claude Barras On The Hard Work of Simplicity and Minimalism|Cartoon Brew
- ^ Review: The 2017 Oscar-Nominated Short Films: Animation - The Film Stage
- ^ The Red Turtle review — rapturous minimalism from Studio Ghibli|Film|The Guardian
- ^ 10 Minimalist Horror Movies|The Young Folks
- ^ 'Roma' Is Painfully Beautiful|PopMatters
- ^ 'Away' review - The Hollywood Reporter
- ^ Here Are Six Indie Animated Features That Deserve An Oscar Nomination This Year|Cartoon Brew
- ^ The Best Independent Films of 2020|Flickering Myth
- ^ The Best Movies of 2020|IndieWire
- ^ Brown, Mitchell (2023-01-03). "FRIEND OF THE WORLD Review – A Strong Debut Feature From Writer and Director Brian Patrick Butler". Slay Away. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ "Movie Review - 'Friend of the World' is an absurdist apocalyptic head-scratcher". Movie Reelist. 2022-06-02. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ This new Netflix short shows how parents grieve after a tragedy - Legacy.com
- ^ Acting Naturally — Point of View Magazine
- ^ The Rise of Minimalist Filmmaking, and Analysis of Best Picture of Best Picture Oscar Winner 'Nomadland' - Hollywood Insider
- ^ Wolfwalkers|Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart|In Review Online
- ^ THE WOMAN WHO RAN (2020) REVIEW – HONG SANG-SOO’S TYPICALLY SUBTLE AND PLAYFULLY KNOTTY DRAMA - High On Films
- ^ The Woman Who Ran (2020)|MUBI
- ^ Why Critics Hate the Movies You Love|The Young Ones
- ^ 'The Tragedy of Macbeth' is magnificent as it is minimalist - The Boar
- ^ Enter the Nightmarish World of Joel Coen's 'The Tragedy of Macbeth' - The Atlantic
- ^ Pig Review: Nicolas Cage Hits Career Highs in Affecting Minimalist Drama - The Film Stage
- ^ Jenny Slate on voicing the melancholy "Marcel the Shell" and creating a laugh "that's not creepy"|Salon.com
- ^ 10 Great Films From 2022 - Our Culture
- ^ Making and Unmaking the Upscale, Minimalist World of ‘TÁR’|IndieWire
- ^ Women Talking - WCBE
- ^ ‘Fallen Leaves’ Review: Aki Kaurismäki Stages a Tiny Sliver of a Romance in a Quirky Finnish Kaurismäki Land That Hasn’t Changed in 30 Years - Variety
- ^ Fallen Leaves review | Kaurismäki applies his minimalist approach to love|Film Stories
- ^ Movie review: Past Lives (2023) is a minimalist romance by Celia Song that has been a surprising international hit - Financial Review
- ^ Perfect Days (Film Review) - Filmhounds Magazine
- ^ A Review of Robot Dreams: Robot and Dog, Slave to No Man But Love - Pelican
- ^ 'All We Imagine As Light' movie review: A minimalist ode to maximum city|Deccan Herald
- ^ 'Flow' review: A gorgeously animated story of survival - InBetweenDrafts
- ^ "In the Shadow of the Cypress: Determined to Survive Harsh Conditions - Total Apex Entertainment". 2024-11-09. Retrieved 2025-01-28.
- ^ "Project1". Project1 - A 3-hour non-narrative experimental animated feature. Retrieved 2025-06-25.