Buying Guide: Someone I love likes movies where nothing happens.

It’s December and maybe you can’t figure out what to get that someone in your life who likes movies where nothing happens. Or maybe you like movies where nothing happens. (I do!) These moves all have a plot. But they are the kind of movies that might inspire a Redbox review of this ilk: Oh my god, so BORING. Nothing happens!!!!!

Here’s a list to rescue you.

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Really great recent movies where not much happens, but you still feel so much when it’s over.

Blue Jay. (Review here) It’s an all-night conversation between two people who haven’t seen each other in 20 years. Buy this.

First Reformed. (Review here). I didn’t love this movie, but I’m in the minority. A despondent clergyman decides to write in a journal for one year. Buy this.

The Rider. (Review here.) Injured bull rider struggles to stay off horses while his head heals. One of the most stunning movies of 2018. Buy this.

Paterson. (Review here.) Poet bus driver. And one of the best overheard conversations in a movie. Buy this.

Phantom Thread. (Review here.) Asshole clothing designer and the woman who loves him. Buy this.

Clouds of Sils Maria. (Review here.) There are too many guys on this list, so we’re going back in time a few years. Famous actress, her assistant and the younger actress who is playing the role that made her famous. Buy this.

The Florida Project. (Review here.) Moonie and her mom and the best cigarette lighting scene in years. Buy this.

Call Me by Your Name (Review here.) Okay, this is probably the plottiest on this list, but it’s a meander-y plot. But perfect for a cold winter’s day, when a summer in the Italian countryside is just what the doctor ordered. Buy this.

A Ghost Story. (Review here.) A guy in a sheet. But it totally works. Buy this.