12 Best Modern Movies With Little or No Dialogue
Movies can have singing dialogue, sure, and some great movies don’t rely on pretty images, but for the most part, film is inherently a visual medium. Heck, before audiences heard Al Jolson’s voice in 1927’s The Jazz Singer , movies were mostly silent entertainment.
Although silent films have largely become a thing of the past, some directors still recognize the power of sparing use of dialogue. The animated film Flow , one of this year’s Oscar nominees for Best Animated Feature, stars animals who really are animals—they don’t speak at all—and that’s not the only recent example. Here are 12 modern films that have no (or very little) spoken dialogue.
Robot Dreams (2023)
It’s hard not to compare this animated Spanish-French co-production to the recently released Dog Man : although their animation styles and target audiences are different, both feature furry protagonists who remain silent the entire time. However, Dog Man compensates for his protagonist’s silence with a constant stream of jokes from other characters (and Dog Man’s exaggerated screams). Robot Dreams uses the absence of dialogue to focus on small, human details. Or, I guess, humanoid canine parts. You can watch Robot Dreams on Hulu or rent it on Prime Video.
Playtime (1967)
Jacques Tati brings his signature character Monsieur Hulot, played by the French director himself, into the modern, segregated Paris of the 1960s, an environment that both delights and baffles the good-natured man. Like the Chaplin films that Tati looks to for inspiration, Hulot’s humorous interplay with the huge, stylish set says it all, depicting a then-futuristic society that now seems familiar. Playtime was misunderstood when it was first released, leading to the director’s bankruptcy. Time has finally caught up with its innovative perspective on the dehumanizing effects of modernization. Now it is considered a classic. Watch Playtime on The Criterion Channel and Kanopy, or rent it on Prime Video.
Mad God (2021)
You may not recognize the name Phil Tippett, but you’re almost certainly familiar with his work as the designer of stunning stop-motion and computer-animated creatures for Star Wars and Jurassic Park . It took Tippett three decades to complete his masterpiece about a gas mask-wearing killer traveling through a hell filled with monsters and beasts. The result is a clean, quiet nightmare fuel that words cannot describe. Watch Mad God on Shudder or rent it on Prime Video.
Under the Skin (2013)
It’s hard to understand what any of the victims say as Scarlett Johansson’s alien drags them to their deaths in this minimalist sci-fi masterpiece, with their thick Scottish accents masking any words they speak before meeting their untimely demise. This film by Jonathan Glazer is not about what the characters say, but about what it is like to be human, in contrast to the cruel, seemingly emotionless alien nature. Of course, there is a story here, but the film is more atmospheric. “Rent Under the Skin” on Prime Video.
Finding Fire (1981)
The trio of cavemen at the center of this epic prehistoric fantasy directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, the genius behind the mostly silent nature film The Bear, speak to each other with grunts, groans and a language developed by A Clockwork Orange author Anthony Burgess. However, there is no misunderstanding as to what they are looking for: fire. However, it is difficult to know which parts of the film are meant to be humorous, such as when a saber-toothed tiger chases our main characters up a tree. Despite the occasional urge to laugh, you can’t help but be drawn in by this story of primitive man’s desire to evolve. You can stream Quest for Fire on Prime Video in pan and scan mode or rent the widescreen version.
Miniature: Valley of Lost Ants (2013)
If you’re still deciding between watching Antz and A Bug’s Life, here’s a third option that’s far superior to both in story and visual style. Minuscule is an Oscar-nominated film about a ladybug who helps an army of black ants in a battle with their red cousins over a tin of sugar cubes. Without the distraction of dialogue, you can focus on how well the filmmakers’ CGI characters blend with the filmed landscapes. Watch it on Plex and Tubi or rent it on Prime Video .
Walk (1971)
There is dialogue in this film, but none of it fully explains why a father takes his two children to the Australian outback before committing suicide. This heartbreaking event sets the stage for the story of two children trying to survive in one of the harshest and most unpredictable regions on Earth. On their way home, they meet an Aboriginal teenager on a traditional walk. Despite the language barrier between them, he helps the more protected children survive. Director Nicolas Roeg uses biblical imagery and skillful editing to convey how humanity has encroached on the natural world. The result is a mesmerizing triumph. Stream Walkabout on Max and The Criterion Channel or rent it on Prime Video.
Duel (1971)
The world saw the power of Steven Spielberg behind the camera in his debut TV movie about a traveling salesman pursued by a truck driver. According to the behind-the-scenes documentary, Spielberg was given only 75 minutes to tell the story, so he focused on sound and visuals rather than dialogue to make the truck as menacing as possible. More than 50 years later, it still works. Rent Duel on Prime Video.
A Quiet Place (2018)
It’s easy to imagine a studio executive wondering whether it was wise to finance a horror film with almost no dialogue, but several hundred million dollars in box office receipts and two sequels later, the risky bet appears to have paid off. While director and star John Krasinski denies that the film’s silence is a metaphor for citizen participation in politics (inaction equals complacency), it’s hard to think of the plot any other way. Watch A Quiet Place on Paramount+ or rent it on Prime Video.
Silent Night (2023)
Action director John Woo returned to Hollywood after two decades for this action film about a father (Joel Kinnaman) unable to speak because he was shot in the throat and avenging his son’s death during a gang shootout. It’s a bold experiment that sort of works, despite the melodrama that slows down the first act. As the action picks up, the sound design immerses you in the visceral impact of bullets, punches and stab wounds, without the need for talking. Watch it on Starz or rent it on Prime Video.
All is Lost (2013)
Somehow, in 2014, the Academy Awards overlooked Robert Redford’s almost silent performance as a man lost at sea when announcing the acting nominations. It’s hard to determine why. Perhaps voters felt his charisma had worn thin, or it was like a rebound from previous performances. Perhaps they felt the film was more of a gimmick than an exploration of a man gripped by overwhelming guilt. Whatever voters may think, the film is still a triumph for a legendary cinematic presence. Watch it on Pluto TV and Plex, or rent it on Prime Video.
Koyaanisqatsi (1982)
Godfrey Reggio assembled this extraordinary collage of contemporary landscape footage juxtaposed with the natural world, set to the hypnotic music of Phillip Glass. In a documentary about its creation, the director said that the lack of narrative was necessary because “our language is in a state of great humiliation. It no longer describes the world we live in.” Given the film’s exploration of the destructive relationships between technology, civilization, and nature, this explanation seems especially fitting—and even more accurate four decades later. Watch it on Kanopy or Pluto TV, or rent it on Prime Video.