minimalist backdrop

Movies with minimalist vibe

Minari

1. Minari

Drama Family Drama
7.4
20211h 55min

Overview

A Korean American family moves to an Arkansas farm in search of its own American dream. Amidst the challenges of this new life in the strange and rugged Ozarks, they discover the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home.

Themes

Grandmother grandson relationship, American dream under pressure, Farmland as livelihood, Mobile home isolation, Intergenerational caregiving challenge, Hatchery labor tension

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Overview

Connected by phone in the same home but 20 years apart, a caller puts a woman’s past — and life — on the line to change her own fate.

Themes

Loyalty under duress, Survival through cooperation, Labor exploitation, Leadership dynamics, Trust and hierarchy

Available on

Netflix
Netflix Standard with Ads
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Hillbilly Elegy

3. Hillbilly Elegy

Drama Family Drama
6.7
20201h 57min

Overview

An urgent phone call pulls a Yale Law student back to his Ohio hometown, where he reflects on three generations of family history and his own future.

Themes

Class inequality, Intergenerational trauma, Economic mobility, Substance abuse burden, Family loyalty vs dysfunction, Single motherhood

Available on

Netflix
Netflix Standard with Ads
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Rebecca

4. Rebecca

Romance Drama Mystery Thriller Dark Romance
6.0
20202h 3min

Overview

After a whirlwind romance with a wealthy widower, a naïve bride moves to his family estate but can't escape the haunting shadow of his late wife.

Themes

Class differences, Gothic romance, British nobility, Housekeeper dynamics, Newlywed tension

Available on

Netflix
Netflix Standard with Ads
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

A Call to Spy

5. A Call to Spy

History Crime Drama Biographical History Historical Drama
6.7
20202h 4min

Overview

The story of Vera Atkins, a crafty spy recruiter, and two of the first women she selects for Churchill's "secret army": Virginia Hall, a daring American undaunted by a disability and Noor Inayat Khan, a pacifist. These civilian women form an unlikely sisterhood while entangled in dangerous missions to turn the tide of the war.

Themes

Sisterhood under pressure, Disability and resilience, Women in espionage, Civilian agents in conflict, Recruitment ethics in wartime

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Coven

6. Coven

Drama History Historical Event Historical Drama
6.4
20201h 32min

Overview

French Basque Country, year 1609. The men of a small fishing village have gone to sea. Judge Rostegui, who has been charged by the king with ridding the country of the devil's wiles, arrests Ana and her friends and accuses them of witchcraft.

Themes

Witchcraft accusation pressure, Religious persecution by inquisition, Witch hunt dynamics on women, Akelarre fear dynamics, Female friendship under duress

Available on

Netflix
Netflix Standard with Ads
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Swordsman

7. The Swordsman

Action Drama History Martial Arts Action Historical Drama
6.8
20201h 41min

Overview

After being blinded in a coup against the king, Joseon's greatest swordsman goes into hiding, far removed from his city's anguish. But when traffickers kidnap his daughter, he has no choice but to unsheathe his sword once more.

Themes

Kidnapping as leverage, Foreign domination via tribute, Loyalty under political pressure, Court corruption and resistance, Adoption as political tool, Martial code under siege

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Archive

8. Archive

Science Fiction Drama Fantasy Thriller AI Sci-Fi
6.4
20201h 49min

Overview

2038: George Almore is working on a true human-equivalent AI, and his latest prototype is almost ready. This sensitive phase is also the riskiest as he has a goal that must be hidden at all costs—being reunited with his dead wife.

Themes

Loss and resilience, Isolation and longing, Memory ownership, Boundaries of humanity, Ethics of artificial consciousness, Creation vs control, Jealousy and agency

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Outpost

9. The Outpost

War Drama History Action Modern Conflicts
6.8
20202h 3min

Overview

A small unit of U.S. soldiers, alone at the remote Combat Outpost Keating, located deep in the valley of three mountains in Afghanistan, battles to defend against an overwhelming force of Taliban fighters in a coordinated attack. The Battle of Kamdesh, as it was known, was the bloodiest American engagement of the Afghan War in 2009 and Bravo Troop 3-61 CAV became one of the most decorated units of the 19-year conflict.

Themes

Leadership under fire, Duty under pressure, Morale under siege, Rules of engagement tension, Bribery and leverage, Endurance under attrition

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Babyteeth

10. Babyteeth

Drama Comedy Romance Coming-of-Age Drama Bittersweet Romance
7.2
20201h 58min

Overview

A terminally ill teen upsets her parents when she falls in love with a small-time drug dealer.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Cancer shaped care, Coming of age love, Drugs access and control, Family obligations under illness, Caregiver boundary tension

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.