Minimalist film
Minimalist film is related to the art and philosophy of minimalism with films.
Background
[edit]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.
Notable filmmakers
[edit]This type of film includes the works of directors like:
- Georgiy Daneliya
- Andrei Tarkovsky[4]
- Michelangelo Antonioni[5]
- Scott Barley[6][7]
- James Benning[8]
- Robert Bresson[9]
- John Carpenter[10][11]
- John Cassavetes[12]
- Paul Driessen[13]
- Morgan Fisher[14]
- Hollis Frampton[15]
- Ernie Gehr[16]
- Larry Gottheim[17]
- Don Hertzfeldt[18]
- Walter Hill[19]
- Jim Jarmusch[20]
- Abbas Kiarostami[21][22]
- Louis Malle[23]
- Norman McLaren[24]
- Yasujirō Ozu[25][26]
- Jafar Panahi[27]
- Kelly Reichardt[28]
- Peter Roehr[29]
- Gus van Sant[30][31]
- Don Siegel[32]
- Michael Snow[33][34]
- Alexander Sokurov[35]
- Tsai Ming-Liang[36]
- Andy Warhol[37]
- Chloé Zhao[38]
List of notable minimalist films
[edit]1920-1949
[edit]| Year | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1928 | The Passion of Joan of Arc[39] | Carl Theodor Dreyer |
| 1940 | Dots[40] | Norman McLaren |
| 1946 | Paisan[41] | Roberto Rossellini |
| 1948 | Rope[42] | Alfred Hitchcock |
| 1949 | I Shot Jesse James[43] | Samuel Fuller |
| 1949 | Begone Dull Care[40] | Evelyn Lambart and Norman McLaren |
1950-1959
[edit]| Year | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Gerald McBoing Boing[44] | Robert Cannon |
| 1953 | Monsieur Hulot's Holiday[45] | Jacques Tati |
| The Tell Tale Heart[46] | Ted Parmelee | |
| Tokyo Story[47] | Yasujirō Ozu | |
| 1954 | Billy Boy[48] | Tex Avery |
| 1955 | The Big Combo[49] | Joseph H. Lewis |
| Ordet[50] | Carl Theodore Dreyer | |
| 1956 | A Man Escaped | Robert Bresson |
| The Red Balloon[51] | Albert Lamorisse | |
| 1957 | 12 Angry Men[52] | Sidney Lumet |
| 1958 | Elevator to the Gallows[53] | Louis Malle |
| Shadows[54] | John Cassavetes | |
| 1959 | Plan 9 from Outer Space[55] | Ed Wood |
| Pickpocket | Robert Bresson |
1960-1969
[edit]| Year | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | The Do-It-Yourself Cartoon Kit[56] | Bob Godfrey |
| Surogat[57] | Dušan Vukotić | |
| 1962 | An Autumn Afternoon[58] | Yasujirō Ozu |
| Eegah[59] | Arch Hall Sr. | |
| 1963 | Winter Light[60] | Ingmar Bergman |
| 1964 | Diamonds of the Night[61] | Jan Němec |
| Fail Safe[62] | Sidney Lumet | |
| The Pink Phink[63] | Friz Freleng | |
| Red Desert[64] | Michelangelo Antonioni | |
| 1966 | Au hasard Balthazar[65] | Robert Bresson |
| 1967 | Mouchette[66] | |
| Wavelength[67][68] | Michael Snow | |
| 1968 | The Fly[69] | Vladimir Jutrisa and Aleksandar Marks |
| 2001: A Space Odyssey[70] | Stanley Kubrick | |
| Surface Tension[71] | Hollis Frampton | |
| 1969 | Bambi Meets Godzilla[72] | Marv Newland |
| Lemon[73] | Hollis Frampton |
1970-1979
[edit]1980-1989
[edit]1990-1999
[edit]2000-2009
[edit]2010-2019
[edit]2020 onwards
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ 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.
- ↑ The Tarkovsky legacy|Sight and Sound
- ↑ The Master of Minimalism / Retrospective of filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni's innovative films spans six decades - SFGATE
- ↑ Sleep Has Her House’: experimental ecocinema in context – The University of Melbourne
- ↑ Film Screening: Sleep Has Her House|The American University of Paris
- ↑ 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
- 1 2 John Carpenter: Father of the Slasher Film | The VICE Guide To Film - VICE on YouTube
- ↑ HUSBANDS: Saturdays are for the Boys - Hyperreal Film Club
- 1 2 "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
- ↑ 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
- 1 2 Begone Dull Care – Senses of Cinema
- ↑ Paisan (1946) - filmsite.org
- ↑ Best Minimalist Movies|12 Top Minimalism Films Ever - Cinemaholic
- ↑ The Crimson Kimono - Trailers From Hell
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 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
- ↑ "HUSBANDS: Saturdays are for the Boys". Hyperreal Film Club. 2020-11-06. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
- ↑ Is this the worst film ever made? - BBC Culture
- ↑ Understanding Animation – Google Books (pg.245)
- ↑ 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
- ↑ The Pink Panther: A Complete History – Google Books (pg.46)
- ↑ 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
- ↑ The 1970s – The Best Era In Cinema History?
- ↑ 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
- ↑ «Ежик в тумане» и «Длинный мост в нужную сторону» как русский постмодернизм в мультипликации
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Sound and Space: ECM Records and Beyond
- ↑ 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
- ↑ The 100 Best Sci-Fi Movies of All Time - Slant Magazine
- ↑ 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.
- 1 2 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 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
- ↑ "Electroma - Daft Punk". Impose Magazine. 2008-07-21. Archived from the original on 2025-05-18. Retrieved 2025-11-14.
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Clay, Ellie (2021-11-30). "'Sleep Has Her House': experimental ecocinema in context". Faculty of Arts. Retrieved 2025-07-09.
- ↑ Independent Animation Makes Big Play for Oscar Gold – Variety
- ↑ '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.
