It might seem antithetical, but I love movies where nothing really happens. With no convoluted plot to get in the way, they're often remedied by sprawling locales, intoxicating dialogue and a magnetic energy that makes you want to reinvent your entire personality.
These plotless films, I find, are endlessly re-watchable, because their appeal isn't tied to the surprise of what happens next. Hitting play on these comfort films feels like slipping on an old but favourite sweater.
These are films that take you somewhere special, bring a certain kind of energy into your mind, allow you to make your own interpolations or interpretations. Each time you watch, there's something more to be gleaned in the details. A line of dialogue that takes on a new sense of urgency, or that shifts in meaning with each stage of your life.
I've been collecting these films for years now, mentally compiling them into a list that now feels comprehensive enough to share. For your viewing pleasure, these are my favourite movies where nothing really happens...
Somewhere
Dir. Sofia Coppola
Coppola reigns supreme over this micro-genre, and Somewhere is one of the films in her catalogue I still think is criminally underrated. Set at the Chateau Marmont, a disillusioned, B-list Hollywood actor is unexpectedly left to look after his tween daughter (in the form of an ethereal young Elle Fanning). There's not much more to it than that – but it will make you want to book a trip to the Chateau, and listen to Gwen Stefani's Cool on repeat.
Past Lives
Dir. Celine Song
Just because nothing really happens doesn't mean it won't make you cry. Celine Song's directorial debut is all about nuance – a look, a sharply drawn breath, a lingering brush of hands. The story is surprisingly simple to summarise: a married woman is visited by a childhood flame from her Korean hometown. Your feelings about it all, though, will be far from straightforward.
Before Sunrise
Dir. Richard Linklater
Probably this made-up genre's crown jewel is Richard Linklater's 90s masterpiece Before Sunrise. You could argue the entire trilogy falls into the category, but Before Sunrise feels like the most apt to include here as it's the first. Two young people meet on a train and decide to spend one single day walking around Vienna together. Immediately I was sold. The entire movie we follow the pair as they stroll, eavesdropping on their conversations about life, death, romance, the future. It's mercurial and it's perfect.
A Bigger Splash (2015)
Dir. Luca Guadagnino
Another auteur of the genre is Mr. Luca Guadagnino – the Italian director behind plenty of big titles you'll have already watched. But for true "nothing really happened" energy, I would start with A Bigger Splash, which, ironically, *should* have made a bigger splash at the box office in my humble opinion. It's gone largely under-the-radar since its release back in 2015, but it essentially follows a motley cast of Hollywood folks (Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes et al.) as they head for the ennui of a Mediterranean island. While there are some things that definitely do happen (that I shall not spoil here), this film's real merit is in its gorgeous locale and endless poolside lounging.
Lady Bird (2017)
Dir. Greta Gerwig
Greta Gerwig's directorial debut perfectly encapsulated the malady of being a small-town teenager. Saoirse Ronan plays our titular protagonist and the ultimate adolescent poseur. She's the cool girl to the bass-playing womaniser Timothée Chalamet, a precocious prodigy to her teachers, and someone perpetually convinced she's destined for somewhere bigger than the town that raised her.
Lost in Translation (2003)
Dir. Sofia Coppola
When I said Sofia Coppola wrote the rulebook, I meant it. Despite having seen this film multiple times, I still struggle to find the words to properly convey what *actually* happens in it. The film is sort of nebulous in theme, focused mainly on the unexpected friendship that forms between a washed-up Hollywood actor (Bill Murray) and a disillusioned philosophy graduate while both are on holiday in Tokyo.
Dazed and Confused (1993)
Dir. Richard Linklater
Despite being released in the 90s, most teens of the 60s and 70s will tell you Dazed and Confused was practically a documentary of their adolescence. It's also the film where Matthew McConaughey got his big break with that "Alright, alright, alright" line (you know the one). It's just the story of teens throwing an all-time party. That's about it.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
Dir. Céline Sciamma
Who knew a period piece could feel so distilled? This one by French filmmaker Céline Sciamma perfectly crystalises a sapphic love story from the 1700s, when a young painter is commissioned to secretly paint the wedding portrait of an aristocrat. There's lots of brooding, and the plotless ending suggests a kind of meditation on their unchanging fate.
Call Me by Your Name (2017)
Dir. Luca Guadagnino
It's a film that needs no introduction. We all know it, love it, have binge-watched it more than a few times on holidays or simply when we need to feel something again. If being a Pisces was distilled into a film, this would be it: beautiful piano solos, rolling around in fields around the Italian countryside, a devastating Sufjan Stevens soundtrack, and crying into the fireplace.
Aftersun (2022)
Dir. Charlotte Wells
Speaking of devastating. I once again reiterate: just because nothing really happens, doesn't mean you won't cry (or in this case, bawl every time you hear a certain Bowie song ever again). Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio play the perfect father-and-daughter duo holidaying in Turkey, where we encounter them doing tai chi, visiting ruins, snapping film photos and performing Losing My Religion by R.E.M on karaoke night.
Mid90s (2018)
Dir. Jonah Hill
One of A24's earlier films, this one's essentially about a little kid in L.A. who escapes a troubled home life by befriending an older, rebellious crew of skateboarders. Jonah Hill deliberately street-casted actual skateboarders for most of the roles, which is probably what brings such an authentic energy to it. And despite being filmed in 2018, the film crew did a fantastic job of making the set feel accurately like 1990s California.
My Neighbour Totoro (1988)
Dir. Hayao Miyazaki
Even anime can be plotless in the best way. Studio Ghibli has always been a pioneering force in the animation genre, and their 1980s film My Neighbour Totoro is one such example. The film was later re-voiced in English by Disney in 2005 (you might recognise Dakota and Elle Fanning's baby voices), and is essentially about two young sisters who move to the countryside in postwar Japan, only to befriend some friendly wood spirits. It's endlessly charming and cosy.
Stealing Beauty (1996)
Dir. Bernardo Bertolucci
Set in the lush Tuscan hills, Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1996 coming-of-age film follows a teenage girl summering in Tuscany at the villa of her Mother’s bohemian expatriate friends (first of all, goals). Liv Tyler is, to state the obvious, radiant as our leading lady, and acts as a captivating focal point for the villa's aging, eccentric residents and artists. A perfect pool-lounging double-feature with A Bigger Splash.
The Breakfast Club (1985)
Dir. John Hughes
Maybe the first film that really took the "nothing really happens" idea and ran with it. Even people who haven't seen The Breakfast Club are probably inadvertently referencing or quoting it regularly – that's the level of ubiquity it's reached. We spend a full 97 minutes in detention with a bunch of high school freaks and geeks on a Saturday. And come to love them all by the end of it.
No Country for Old Men (2007)
Dir. Coen Brothers
Yes, even neo-Western films can be plot-devoid in the best way. Don't try to box me in! The Coen Brothers' masterpiece is largely just about a guy who steals a briefcase of money and is hunted down the entirety of the movie. He hides to no avail. That's it. Javier Bardem is the stuff of nightmares here, and fun fact, this film is also devoid of a soundtrack, which makes it all the more haunting.
