One of the best things about watching a movie is having the experience of taking in a great story. As a film plays out, you get to directly see a narrative unfold, through the characters, their interactions, and the events they need to deal with. Beautiful visuals, inventive editing, and great music are all things that can make that story more powerful and emotionally resonant.

But then again, some films aren't as concerned with showing viewers a direct story play out from A to B. Films like this can still have great characters and still work on an emotional level, but it's the experience of watching them that sticks with the audience, rather than the story that was told. Films like these do have a narrative, but favor exploring characters or making viewers feel something over-focusing on a plot. Even if some can be slow at points, they all prove to be rewarding experiences that show how the medium of film is so much more than just another way to tell a story.

Updated on April 4, 2023, by Jeremy Urquhart:

With recent must-see films like Marcel the Shell with Shoes On and Memoria premiering worldwide, it's clear that there's still interest in movies where nothing happens. These films maximize aspects like atmosphere, dialogue, and performances to create their absorbing realities, which make for truly unique viewing experiences.

15 ‘Drive My Car’ (2021)

Drive My Car

One of the most critically acclaimed films of 2021 is Drive My Car, an almost three-hour-long movie that spends most of its runtime on a group of characters preparing and rehearsing a stage play of Russian writer Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya. The focus is on the play's director and his personal driver, and the unique friendship of sorts that grows between them.

The opening half-hour is quite plot-heavy and dramatic, and after that, the rest of the film deals with its fallout. It has a contemplative tone and numerous scenes that go on for a long time, but the effect becomes hypnotic and surprisingly engaging as the film goes on. Drive My Car uses its three hours to explore grief, loneliness, and the process of creating art, Drive My Car might not be for everyone, but it has a lot to offer for those willing to engage with it.

Watch on HBO Max

14 ‘Nomadland’ (2020)

woman walking through a field with a lamp, in front of a sunset
Image via Searchlight Pictures

Winning Best Picture at the 2021 Academy Awards, Nomadland is a very easy movie to summarize. It's essentially a year or so in the life of a woman living in America as a nomad; a person who doesn't have a home, and instead lives life in a freer, less predictable way.

What made the film resonate with viewers (besides things like Frances McDormand's lead performance and the beautiful cinematography) was how down-to-earth and naturalistic it felt. Part of that was thanks to many cast members being non-professional actors, and some of it was thanks to the loose, sometimes meandering structure of the film. It helps those who watch it get a taste for how the nomad lifestyle would feel, and as such achieves a great deal without having a more structured narrative.

Watch on Hulu

13 ‘Drive’ (2011)

Drive

Decidedly not at all like a Fast & Furious movie, Drive does focus on a lonely man who's a stuntman by day and a getaway driver for robbers at night, but is arguably less about that and more about being an exercise in style.

The movie lives and breathes the grimier aspects of the neon-drenched 80s. Drive's a beautiful-looking movie and paired with the memorably moody synth-wave soundtrack, it's a great movie to experience. Instead of focusing on the criminal aspects of the driver's (Ryan Gosling) life, it's arguably more concerned about the romance that develops between the driver and Irene (Carey Mulligan) characters... at least between the sporadic bursts of graphic violence that are there to remind viewers they're ultimately watching a crime film.

12 ‘Paterson’ (2016)

Paterson

Paterson features one of Adam Driver's best performances in a career that's already full of great ones. In it, he plays a young bus driver with a simple, very structured life, and viewers follow him as he works, talks with his partner, walks his dog, visits his local bar, and writes poetry in his notebook.

That's all there is to Paterson, really, but the gentleness of how it feels and the acting of Adam Driver ensure it's very engaging. It's a pleasant film that reminds viewers to enjoy the smaller things in life that they might otherwise take for granted, and it might struggle to get this message across so well if a pesky plot got in the way.

Watch on Prime Video

11 ‘Days of Heaven’ (1978)

Two people walking in a field in Days Of Heaven
Image Via Paramount

Days of Heaven is the second film from acclaimed director Terrence Malick, and arguably still his best. Plot-wise, it's very simple: it involves a love triangle between a fugitive on the run, his girlfriend who pretends to be his sister, and the rich but terminally ill farmer they work for.

There's a plot to inherit the farmer's wealth through a sham marriage, but it takes a backseat to the beautiful outdoor scenery (many scenes were shot either just before sunrise or just after sunset, which helped the American Society of Cinematographers select it as one of the best-shot films of all time), and Ennio Morricone's beautiful score. It's complemented with some improvised, poetic narration, and it all adds up to an amazing experience, even while the story hits some very familiar beats, and at times feels like it's not hugely important.

Watch on Paramount+

10 ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (1968)

Once Upon A Time in the West
Image via Paramount Pictures

Sergio Leone's best Western that isn't The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West is a slow but absorbing film. The Western runs for almost three hours, and it depicts the American West in its final years through several main characters whose paths cross in various ways throughout the film's runtime.

A deconstruction of the typical Western through its morally ambiguous characters and methodical pace, Once Upon a Time in the West is something special. It's beautiful and sad in equal measure and leaves a strong impact once it's over. No better is the unique pacing summarized than in the film's opening sequence, where three gunmen anxiously wait for their target to arrive at a train station... for about 15 minutes of screen time, and not even with any music accompanying. It's somehow incredibly tense and captivating, just like the rest of the film.

Watch on Prime Video

9 ‘Before Sunrise’ (1995)

Before Sunrise

This is the first film in Richard Linklater's Before Trilogy, and arguably the most romantic. Before Sunrise depicts two young people who meet by chance and end up spending a day together in Vienna, during which they begin to fall in love.

It may sound simple and cheesy, but thankfully it's not. There's something entrancing about the love story here, and it helps that the dialogue is excellent, and also that Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy have great chemistry together. Before Sunset and Before Midnight are great too of course, but Before Sunrise is perhaps the simplest of the three, and the most emotional.

8 ‘Chungking Express’ (1994)

Chungking Express

One of the best-known films from acclaimed director Wong Kar-wai, Chungking Express lets viewers know the plot isn't too important when it abruptly switches from one story to another at the halfway point. It's jarring, but what unfolds in the second half is just as engaging as the first, so it's not a great blow or anything.

Broadly, the film deals with lonely people living in a bustling city, as well as how difficult it can be to find a connection with someone, and how elusive love can be (Chungking Express has also been called a breakup movie). It does so without much of a narrative, but with distinctive, memorable characters who viewers will come to care for. Also worth mentioning is the dazzling style Kar-wai injects into the film, with plenty of inventive filmmaking techniques and an exceptionally memorable soundtrack.

Watch on HBO Max

7 'Lost in Translation' (2003)

Bill Murray as Bob and Scarlett Johansson as Charlotte in Lost in Translation
Image via Focus Features

Arguable director Sofia Coppola's most recognizable work, Lost in Translation is an award-winning masterpiece that follows a fading Hollywood star, Bob Harris (Bill Murray), during his stay in Japan. He doesn't enjoy his task there to promote whiskey, but soon meets the recent college grad, Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson). Together, they form an unusual bond as they explore what Tokyo has to offer.

The film is known for its defiance of mainstream narrative structures, relying mostly on building an atmosphere of melancholia and romance, as well as utilizing well-written dialogue. Bob and Charlotte's relationship doesn't have the usual dramatic or explosive moments, but is instead a source of temporary comfort for the characters during their alienating stay in an unfamiliar place.

Watch on Prime Video

6 'Only Lovers Left Alive' (2013)

Eve (Tilda Swinton) laying on a chaise lounge with her head in Adam's (Tom Hiddleston)'s lap in "Only Lovers Left Alive"

A dark comedy-drama unlike any other, Only Lovers Left Alive is centered on two vampires who have been together for centuries, Adam (Tom Hiddleston) and Eve (Tilda Swinton). The duo grapple with the clear rift between them, as Adam delves deeper into his feelings of loneliness and isolation, while also despising the way society has changed around him. Eve struggles to help him cope while also dealing with stress about their limited supply of blood, which is soon abruptly cut off.

Written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, it's a unique vampire film worth seeing. Not much happens to the couple, as the movie focuses on being a character study and an exploration of the dangers of boredom and immortality – it does this with wit, tenderness, and a keen understanding of what it means to be alive.

5 'Marcel the Shell with Shoes On' (2021)

Marcel-the-shell-with-shoes-on-feature
Image via A24

Director Dean Fleischer Camp invites audiences to rediscover their child-like wonder through Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, which is now among A24's highest-rated movies. It's centered on the adorable anthropomorphic shell, Marcel (Jenny Slate), who has spent a lot of time figuring things out with his grandmother Connie (Isabella Rossellini), after they were separated from their community. When a documentary filmmaker named Dean (Camp) discovers his existence, Marcel begins to reconsider the search for his missing family.

The grand "adventure" Marcel goes on with Dean is really just a short drive to a nearby hill. The rest of the movie deals with the mundane but charming ways Marcel has to survive or have fun, like the way he uses a tennis ball to move around the house. The film masterfully uses humor and heartfelt moments that remind viewers of the importance of community, kindness, and bravery (something Marcel must learn, too).

Watch on Showtime

4 'The Rider' (2017)

The Rider (2017)

Several years before becoming a household name with Nomadland, Chloé Zhao made the comparable The Rider. It's a leisurely-paced and character-focused modern Western that follows a young man who was once an up-and-coming horse trainer and rodeo star, though finds himself needing to forge a new path in life after he suffers a serious injury during a rodeo.

It's a movie that openly and honestly explores masculine identity, and what it means to be a man while living in America's heartland. It does this without much of a narrative, but the beautiful visuals, compelling characters, and the themes it explores through said characters ends up being more than enough to make The Rider a compelling Western/drama.

3 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' (2019)

A despondent Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) stands stiff while his stuntman Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) talks to him.
Image via Sony Pictures Releasing

With Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino gave viewers his least plot-heavy and most relaxed movie yet. While it still manages to find a few brief moments to get very violent, for the most part, it's just about an aging actor and his stuntman trying to get by in Hollywood during the late 1960s, and has a fairly relaxed atmosphere for the most part.

It can be a very funny film, but also a bittersweet one, as it's ultimately about saying farewell to the way the film industry used to function, and capturing the end of an era in the process. The lack of a plot ends up being one of the movie's strengths, as even though it's slowly paced, it's consistently entertaining and unique.

Watch on Starz

2 'Dazed and Confused' (1993)

Matthew McConaughey in 'Dazed and Confused'
Image via Gramercy Pictures

A classic movie about characters who don't want to grow up, Dazed and Confused is a must-watch. It follows a group of students on the first night of their summer holidays, with characters of various ages all reflecting on where they are in life, what might happen during the summer, and what could lie ahead in the coming years.

Each character does have its their concerns, so it doesn't feel devoid of forward momentum. However, there's no concrete overarching narrative, and the film does feel most concerned with capturing the way youth feels, and the strange mix of dread and optimism about one's future when they don't know what's in store. It's a movie to feel (and be entertained by), rather than a movie to watch for a specific story.

Watch on Prime Video

1 'Memoria' (2021)

Memoria
Image via Neon

Memoria is such an unusual film that it's hard to even talk about the core premise. It's a challenging but rewarding movie, and at its most basic, follows a woman who begins hearing strange sounds that no one else seems to be able to hear, so she sets out on a personal quest to discover the origin of these strange noises.

It's very slow-paced and ultimately leaves ambiguous how much of the mystery the woman uncovers. Viewers may feel like there's a resolution of sorts, or they may feel that by the film's end, there are more questions than answers. Still, there's something intoxicating and surprisingly not frustrating about Memoria's obscurity, and for the singular experience it provides, it's worth checking out, even for those who usually like a traditional and easy-to-follow narrative.

NEXT: Great Movies That Are Longer Than Three Hours