Slow pacing is a surprisingly common factory across some of the most engrossing movies in history. If you love to take your time and bask in the scenery, check out the best slow movies and shows to stream now.
Genre: Adventure, Drama
Actor: Adam Driver, Bryan Probets, Daisy Walkabout, Emma Booth, Evan Casey, Felicity Steel, Fiona Press, Ian Conway, Jessica Tovey, John Flaus, Lily Pearl, Melanie Zanetti, Mia Wasikowska, Philip Dodd, Rainer Bock, Robert Coleby, Rolley Mintuma
Director: John Curran
It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that the mix of ideas and aesthetics that gave us Her has roots in Japan. Borrowing from the country’s poeticism, attention to detail and just appreciation for beauty; Tony Takitani is Her’s quiet and delicate elder brother-film, and one of the best this genre has to give. After spending a solitary childhood, a Japanese kid with the American name Tony grows up to be a successful technical illustrator. Without the time for the outside world or any luck with it, Tony indulges in his work and by extension his loneliness until he suddenly falls a distinctive young woman. Tony Takitani is a slow film, which quickly becomes a memorable experience due to its profound study of loneliness.
Genre: Drama
Actor: Hidetoshi Nishijima, Issei Ogata, Issey Ogata, Miho Fujima, Rie Miyazawa, Shinohara Takahumi
Director: Jun Ichikawa
You know Anthony Hopkins as the evil Hannibal Lecter, but in this film he gives a warm and heartfelt performance portraying real life New Zealand motorcycle legend Burt Munro who set a land speed record in 1967 on a hand-built 1920 Indian. It's a story of never giving up on your dream even in the face of ridicule and opposition. Hopkins' performance turns what could have been just another schmaltzy formulaic story line into true gold. You'll be cheering for Burt/Anthony by the end!
Genre: Adventure, Drama, History
Actor: Aaron Murphy, Alison Bruce, Annie Whittle, Anthony Hopkins, Antony Starr, Bill Richardson, Bruce Greenwood, Campbell Cooley, Charles Halford, Charles Pierard, Chris Bruno, Chris Williams, Christopher Lawford, Craig Hall, Daniel Sing, Diane Ladd, Eric Pierpoint, Gavin Grazer, Greg Johnson, Iain Rea, James Gaylyn, Jessica Cauffiel, Joe Howard, Juliana Bellinger, Kristen Marie Holly, Latham Gaines, Laurel Moglen, Mark Ruka, Michael Mantell, Mick Rose, Morgan Lund, Nicholas Lanier, Patrick John Flueger, Paul Rodríguez, Phoebe Falconer, Saginaw Grant, Tessa Mitchell, Tim Shadbolt, Todd Emerson, Walton Goggins, Wesley Dowdell, William Lucking
Director: Roger Donaldson
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Florian David Fitz, Janina Elkin, Katharina Schüttler, Katharina Thalbach, Meret Becker, Nilam Farooq, Peri Baumeister, Seumas F. Sargent, Sheeba Chaddha, Uwe Preuss, Yuna Bennett
Besides the futuristic tech that pops in and out, there’s not a lot about The Kitchen that signals it as a sci-fi film. Neglected housing projects and violent raids have become too common to count as dystopian, so it often feels like The Kitchen could’ve gone without labeling itself as part of the genre (the real world is bad enough). But underneath those layers is a subtle but sublimely tender story about father and son finding each other amid the rubble of real life. First-time directors Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out, The Black Panther) and Kibwe Tavares delicately balance the personal and the political, never undermining the former as many socially aware films do. If Kaluuya and Tavares had fleshed the world it built a little more and removed the parts, such as the sci-fi elements, that did not work out, then Izi and Benji’s story would have been memorably devastating, instead of just affecting.
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Science Fiction, Thriller
Actor: BACKROAD GEE, Cristale, Dani Moseley, Demmy Ladipo, Ewart James Walters, Fiona Marr, Henry Lawfull, Hope Ikpoku Jnr, Ian Wright, Jedaiah Bannerman, Kane Robinson, Karen Williams, Lola-Rose Maxwell, Neville Watson, Rasaq Kukoyi, Rhys Yates
Director: Daniel Kaluuya, Kibwe Tavares
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Actor: Alain Guiraudie, Christophe Paou, François-Renaud Labarthe, Jérôme Chappatte, Mathieu Vervisch, Patrick d'Assumçao, Pierre Deladonchamps
Director: Alain Guiraudie
Genre: Drama, Romance
Actor: Choe Min, Ha Yeo-jin, Ji Dae-han, Jong-ho Kim, Ki-duk Kim, Kim Jong-ho, Kim Jung-young, Kim Ki-duk, Kim Young-min, Oh Yeong-su, Oh Young-soo, Park Ji-a, Park Zia, Seo Jae-kyeong, Yeong-su Oh
Director: Ki-duk Kim, Kim Ki-duk
Genre: Drama, History, Romance
Actor: Abeer Abrar, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Amin Hajee, Amitabh Bachchan, Ashutosh Gowariker, Gurmmeet Singh, Haidar Ali, Hrithik Roshan, Ila Arun, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Nikitin Dheer, Poonam Sinha, Pramod Moutho, Rajesh Vivek, Raza Murad, Rucha Vaidya, Sonu Sood, Suhasini Mulay, Surendra Pal, Yuri Suri
Director: Ashutosh Gowariker
A very particular dark comedy. If it’s for you, you’ll find it to be hilarious and thought provoking. If not, you might find it too weird and a bit slow. The movie centers around the relationships between couples having brunch together one morning and what happens when they are hit by a weird tragedy. Not only do you get to learn a lot about the characters, it offers you the opportunity to put yourself in their unlikely situation. Watch this movie with a friend and you'll have a lot to talk about for sure, it as one of the best endings I've ever seen in a movie. It's one of those films you can't say too much about without giving it away, but it's definitely worth the watch.
Genre: Drama
Actor: Kevin M. Brennan, Laura Adkin, Rachel Boston
Director: Todd Berger
Inside is a technical wonder and a fascinating vehicle for Dafoe’s character Nemo, who holds the entire thing together with a singularly insane performance. It also poses interesting questions about art, namely, what value does it hold at the end of the day? When you’re seconds away from dying of hunger and thirst, what good is a painting, a sculpture, a sketch? Are they really only as good as what they’re materially made out of or can they contribute something more? Inside plays with these questions, but unfortunately, not in any engaging, thoughtful, or creative way. The movie stretches on and on, recycling the same ideas and leaning on the inevitably disgusting ways humans survive as a crutch. An argument could be made that that is the point, to reveal the emptiness and dullness of expensive art, but Inside tries so hard to capture that feeling that it becomes the thing it critiques in the end.
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Actor: Andrew Blumenthal, Cornelia Buch, Eliza Stuyck, Gene Bervoets, Josia Krug, Vincent Eaton, Willem Dafoe
Director: Vasilis Katsoupis
With whole franchises dedicated to cars and motorcycles, cinema has often regarded these individually-piloted machines as intrinsically linked with masculinity. Ustaad is the latest Telugu love letter to motorcycles and planes, as these have shaped protagonist Surya Sivakumar’s life. In debut writer-director Phanideep’s hands, Surya’s journey to becoming a commercial airline pilot is a long one, as Ustaad details Surya’s first motorbike, first romantic relationship, and the way he overcame his fear of heights. It’s a fun drive, and there’s plenty of moments where Phanideep’s style feels free and unrestrained. However, it’s a drive that takes too long, with predictable beats that have been seen before.
Genre: Action, Comedy, Romance
Actor: Anu Hasan, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Kavya Kalyanram, Ravi Shiva Teja, Ravindra Vijay, Sri Simha, Sri Simha Koduri, Venkatesh Maha
Director: Phanideep
Yu Katayama lives in a remote village with a garbage disposal business that's slowly turning into a landfill. When his childhood friend Misaki Nakai returns to the village, she encourages Yu to make a better life for himself despite his mother's gambling and the village ostracizing him. The Village is a slow-burning film interested in Yu's struggles as an outcast and in discussing the takeover of small villages for capitalistic industrial motives. The film is shot beautifully with dark, brooding visuals and lingering shots of Yu's quiet intensity throughout the film. Unfortunately, secondary characters are not fully developed outside of their interactions with Yu, causing the film to feel flat outside of pivotal moments. An evocative idea with parts more memorable than the whole.
Genre: Drama
Actor: Arata Furuta, Daiken Okudaira, Hana Kino, Haru Kuroki, Naomi Nishida, Ryusei Yokohama, Ryūto Sakuma, Sakuma Ryuto, Shidô Nakamura, Tetta Sugimoto, Wataru Ichinose
Director: Michihito Fujii
As a fantasy romance series, Shahmaran feels like it could be something more. Blending in Turkish folklore and a steamy romance, the show is based on the legend of the titular feminine mythic creature and a prophecy promising Shahmaran’s return, if only they’re willing to make the same sacrifice she did long ago. There’s something here about coming to terms with your past, whether that be your heritage or your family’s history of mental illness and trauma. However, the show’s slow pace can dissuade viewers, and the series can’t help itself from leaning too far into the drama of it all.
Genre: Action & Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Burak Deniz, Mahir Günşiray, Mert Ramazan Demir, Mustafa Uğurlu, Serenay Sarıkaya
Director: Umur Turagay
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Bi Yanjun, Chen Xingxu, Chen Yi Jing, Fei Qiming, Fu Jia, Lin Zilu, Ren Zhengbin, Victoria Song, Wang Sen, Wu Yanshu, Yu Shasha
Director: Zhang Tong
Genre: Drama
Actor: Chen Jingke, Dai Si, Ding Xiaoying, Dong Zifan, Hai Ling, Leo Wu, Wang Jiaxuan, Wang Xingyue, Zhao Jinmai
Director: Bo Yu, Tien Jen Huang