Slow movies are harder to find these days as attention spans decrease and fast-paced action films are taking center stage at the box office. However, just because a movie has a deliberate pace doesn’t mean it isn’t interesting or that it won’t leave the audience shocked by the conclusion. While older films like 2001: A Space Odyssey might immediately come to mind when thinking about slower projects, there are also some amazing recent additions to cinema that take their time and encourage audiences to sit with what they’ve seen.

Many of these are slow-burn thriller movies with perfect endings that leave the audience satisfied and wanting even more from the film. However, what most of these works have in common is that they’re more concerned with the journey rather than the destination. Most of these films are character-driven, using their winding, unexpected plots to elevate the development of the people onscreen. Fortunately, this doesn’t mean that the narrative doesn’t pack a punch and includes enough tension to keep the viewer invested to the very end.

10

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Directed by Stanley Kubrick

Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey is a sci-fi movie masterpiece everyone should watch once, as it has defined the genre ever since it was released. Largely considered Kubrick’s best film, 2001: A Space Odyssey is one of the most influential movies of all time, gripping the audience from beginning to end. It’s hard to imagine where science fiction would be without 2001: A Space Odyssey, as it hasn’t impacted sci-fi alone, but movies of practically every genre, developing into a cultural touchstone.

It’s hard to believe that the effects in 2001: A Space Odyssey were made in the 1960s, as this is part of the reason that the movie is so compelling to modern audiences.

The fact that 2001: A Space Odyssey was released in 1968 is one of the most astounding aspects of the film, as the visuals are so well crafted and gorgeously imagined. It’s hard to believe that the effects in 2001: A Space Odyssey were made in the 1960s, as this is part of the reason that the movie is so compelling to modern audiences. As we’re immersed in the world of the story, it’s easy to want the film to go on even longer so we don’t have to leave this incredible achievement.

9

There Will be Blood (2007)

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

Due to the enormous amount of time that There Will Be Blood chronicles, the film inherently had to be a long, arduous journey that mirrors the emotional development of Daniel Plainview. The opportunistic capitalist is played by Daniel Day-Lewis, who’s giving the performance of a lifetime in There Will Be Blood. As Plainview evolves and becomes even more unscrupulous, we watch as the American West changes with him, examining the purpose of the American Dream and how this idea so often fails those who subscribe to it.

One of the preeminent neo-Western movies of the 2000s, There Will Be Blood, has inspired many contemporary reevaluations of the Western and the development of the landscape. Paul Dano gives a fantastic supporting performance as the brothers Paul and Eli Sunday, who come into conflict with Plainview. In conversation with religion, greed, and the cost of dedication to industry and wealth above all, There Will Be Blood has only become more relevant with time.

8

The Deer Hunter (1978)

Directed by Michael Cimino

The star-studded cast of The Deer Hunter is reason enough to watch the film, with a young Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro, and Christopher Walken all featured prominently. In conversation with the devastating effects of the Vietnam War and the intersection between class and the military-industrial complex, The Deer Hunter is a grueling film. Immediately hailed as a strong addition to the genre of movies that delve into the treatment of the working class, The Deer Hunter is full of action and twists but takes its time setting this up.

As time has progressed, The Deer Hunter has cemented itself as a classic, ahead of its time in grappling with the way the Vietnam War disproportionately affected working-class men. The film went on to win the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and many more, showcasing its popularity and notoriety. However, The Deer Hunter isn’t worth watching simply because it’s popular. The performances are incredible, and more recent explorations of the horrors of the war wouldn’t exist without The Deer Hunter.

7

Zodiac (2007)

Directed by David Fincher

This fictionalization of the true-crime story of the infamous Zodiac Killer is regarded as one of David Fincher’s best works. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey Jr. as a group of journalists and detectives investigating the murders, Zodiac is just as nebulous and tension-filled as the crimes themselves. There are several moments throughout Zodiac when it seems as if the character’s fates are balanced on a razor’s edge, and Fincher makes us sit with this.

Chronicling many years and unpacking the different letters and leads that the detectives spent so long chasing, Zodiac isn’t afraid to frustrate the viewer.

The fact that Fincher takes his time in Zodiac, stretching out the moments when the characters are in real danger and emphasizing the uncertainty of these moments, is what has made Zodiac so enduring. Chronicling many years and unpacking the different letters and leads that the detectives spent so long chasing, Zodiac isn’t afraid to frustrate the viewer. It includes plenty of misdirects, forcing us to question everything. Though there’s a concrete end to the film, Fincher leaves the story deliberately uncertain.

6

Magnolia (1999)

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

Paul Thomas Anderson’s ensemble drama Magnolia features one of Tom Cruise’s best movie villain roles alongside landmark performances by Philip Seymour Hoffman and William H. Macy, to name a few. Following the intersecting lives of many different people living in Los Angeles, Magnolia has sparked lots of discussion about the meaning behind the stories in the film. While there are many ways Magnolia can be interpreted, it grapples with the way the wounds in childhood manifest in adulthood above all.

The exploitation of children is a recurring motif in Magnolia, which can make the film difficult to watch. However, there are still uplifting elements of Magnolia, and the moments of catharsis that come after a traumatic event are made all the more compelling by the film’s pace. Additionally, a movie like Magnolia relies heavily on the actor’s performances, and giving them the space and time required to connect with the audience is what propels Magnolia​​​​​​​ forward, keeping the viewer invested.

5

A Brighter Summer Day (1991)

Directed by Edward Yang

Edward Yang’s four-hour epic, A Brighter Summer Day, is doubtlessly a commitment to watch, but it’s well worth the time. Yang is also known for his 2000 movie, Yi Yi, which clocks in at three hours long, but after experiencing the films, audiences come to understand and appreciate Yang’s style and see that the stories really did need that much time to unfold. A Brighter Summer Day follows Chang Chen as Xiao Si’r, an adolescent boy navigating the transition to adulthood in 1950s and ’60s Taiwan.

Though it tests modern attention spans, buckling in to appreciate the film results in an emotionally interrogative and unforgettable journey.

Consistently hailed as one of the greatest films of the 20th century and a decisive addition to the Taiwan New Cinema movement, A Brighter Summer Day is mandatory viewing for all film lovers. As time has progressed, A Brighter Summer Day has gained popularity and recognition because it’s such an essential piece of cinema. Though it tests modern attention spans, buckling in to appreciate the film results in an emotionally interrogative and unforgettable journey.

4

La Chimera (2024)

Directed by Alice Rohrwacher

La Chimera was an overlooked film in 2024, but it’s likely that the project will become a hidden favorite among film lovers in the coming years. Josh O’Connor leads the cast as Arthur, a tomb robber who’s in search of both treasure and his lost love in Italy. La Chimera is more character-driven, allowing the plot to meander along and take interesting turns as Arthur is moved by his experiences. The director, Alice Rohrwacher, is known for her twisting narratives that showcase the beauty of the natural world.

Full of magic and impossibilities, La Chimera encourages the audience to seek out their own improbable pursuit and become consumed by it. There are many ways to interpret La Chimera, and the story is purposefully left open-ended, even as the action grows in intensity and Arthur is forced to make difficult decisions. Though Arthur is the film’s central figure, La Chimera gives plenty of time to the supporting cast, making the story’s world immersive and complete.

3

The Unknown Country (2022)

Directed by Morrisa Maltz

Lily Gladstone starts in The Unknown Country, Morrisa Maltz’s sweeping feature that follows Tana (Gladstone) on her road trip to reconnect with her family in South Dakota. A tribute to reconnecting with the land and the people who came before you, the powerful emotional climax of The Unknown Country sneaks up on you. Gladstone is phenomenal as Tana, subtle and vulnerable in her journey as she lets the audience see her grapple with the different sides of herself.

Like many films with a slower pace, The Unknown Country is more concerned with its journey rather than the destination, but this doesn’t prevent the movie’s conclusion from hitting home.

Maltz’s follow-up, the movie Jazzy, is an extension of the semi-biographical universe she crafts in The Unknown Country and cements Maltz as a director who demonstrates the meaning of small moments. Like many films with a slower pace, The Unknown Country is more concerned with its journey rather than the destination, but this doesn’t prevent the movie’s conclusion from hitting home. Anyone who watches The Unknown Country will connect with Tana’s story in some way.

2

Portrait Of A Lady On Fire (2019)

Directed by Céline Sciamma

Period dramas often take a slower pace than films set in the contemporary era to match the less urgent and more time-consuming pace of life back then. Portrait of a Lady on Fire is no exception, as Céline Sciamma takes her time building the relationship between Marianne (Noémie Merlant) and Héloïse​​​​​​​ (Adèle Haenel). Though we spend a long time watching their romance grow and envelop them, it feels as if they’re ripped away from each other in an instant, maximizing the emotional turmoil.

It’s a testament to Sciamma’s writing that it’s impossible to get bored during Portrait of a Lady on Fire, even when we spend time gazing at the landscapes and watching the prolonged, loaded glances exchanged between the two women. The fact that every frame of the movie is gorgeous certainly helps keep your attention throughout the project. However, it’s the performances and chemistry of Haenel and Merlant that take Portrait of a Lady on Fire to the next level.

1

The Lighthouse (2019)

Directed by Robert Eggers

Robert Eggers’ surreal horror movie, The Lighthouse, makes a great case for slow, atmospheric additions to the genre. Starring Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson, The Lighthouse is a test of patience and endurance for the audience and characters alike. Dafoe and Pattinson’s characters are almost the only two people in the film, as The Lighthouse explores the way isolation takes a toll on the psyches of its characters. By the end of the film, it’s difficult to know what’s real and what’s imagined.

The Lighthouse is far from Eggers’ only work, which takes a deliberate pace. He slowly unearths the horrors hiding within the narrative of the film. As The Lighthouse progresses, the action amps up, and the conflict between Pattinson and Dafoe comes to a head, which is an excellent payoff after spending so much time watching the tension build. Eggers is one of the contemporary filmmakers who understands the power of slow pacing and uses it to his advantage.