Slow Burns
Patience, dear viewer! Slow-burn films are known for their intentional pacing, restrained narratives, and steady escalation of anticipation. These movies prioritize mood, character evolution, and nuanced detail over instant gratification. But the immersive experience can build to powerful payoffs that make the wait worth your while.
Decision to Leave
(헤어질 결심)
A detective investigating a mysterious death finds himself both suspecting and falling for the dead man's wife.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea • 2022
- Director Park Chan-wook
- Cast Park Hae-il, Tang Wei, Lee Jung-hyun, Park Yong-woo, Go Kyung-pyo, Kim Shin-young
- Genre Crime, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Thriller
- Available on MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
(Portrait de la jeune fille en feu)
Marianne, a painter, is commissioned to do the wedding portrait of Héloïse, a young woman who has just left the convent.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2019
- Director Céline Sciamma
- Cast Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel, Luàna Bajrami, Valeria Golino, Christel Baras, Armande Boulanger
- Genre Drama, History, Romance
- Available on Hulu, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, YouTube, Kanopy
The Wailing
(곡성)
"Somebody better call the exorcist!"
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea, United States • 2016
- Director Na Hong-jin
- Cast Kwak Do-won, Hwang Jung-min, Chun Woo-hee, Jun Kunimura, Kim Hwan-hee, Heo Jin
- Genre Horror, Mystery, Thriller
- Available on Netflix, fuboTV, Criterion Channel, Peacock Premium, Kocowa, Hi-YAH, Netflix basic with Ads, Rakuten Viki, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Kanopy, Hoopla
45 Years
How well do we know those we love?
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2015
- Director Andrew Haigh
- Cast Charlotte Rampling, Tom Courtenay, Geraldine James, Dolly Wells, David Sibley, Richard Cunningham
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, fuboTV, Criterion Channel, AMC+, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ with Showtime, IFC Films Unlimited Apple TV Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
(Män som hatar kvinnor)
Only those discarded by society can uncover its most ugly truths
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Sweden, Denmark, Germany • 2009
- Director Niels Arden Oplev
- Cast Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Lena Endre, Sven-Bertil Taube, Peter Andersson, Peter Haber
- Genre Drama, Thriller, Crime, Mystery
- Available on Fandor, fuboTV, MZ Choice Amazon Channel, Amazon Video, Crackle, Plex, Plex Channel
Caché
All the moments they thought nobody was watching, caught on tape.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Austria, Germany • 2005
- Director Michael Haneke
- Cast Daniel Auteuil, Juliette Binoche, Annie Girardot, Bernard Le Coq, Daniel Duval, Maurice Bénichou
- Genre Mystery, Drama, Thriller
- Available on Fandor Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
Memories of Murder
(살인의 추억)
A daring, nuanced story of the investigation around the man reported to be South Korea’s first serial killer, who was uncaught at the time of the film's release.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea • 2003
- Director Bong Joon-ho
- Cast Song Kang-ho, Kim Sang-kyung, Kim Roe-ha, Song Jae-ho, Park Hae-il, Go Seo-hee
- Genre Crime, Drama, Thriller
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Tubi TV
In the Mood for Love
(花樣年華)
Longing and loneliness collide in this understated romance.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Hong Kong, China • 2000
- Director Wong Kar-wai
- Cast Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Maggie Cheung, Rebecca Pan, Kelly Lai Chen, Siu Ping-Lam, Mama Hung
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube
Audition
(オーディション)
She always gets her part.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1999
- Director Takashi Miike
- Cast Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Jun Kunimura, Tetsu Sawaki, Renji Ishibashi, Miyuki Matsuda
- Genre Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
- Available on Shudder, Screambox, Fandor Amazon Channel, Screambox Amazon Channel, Shudder Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, Hi-YAH, AsianCrush, AMC+ Amazon Channel, ARROW, Shudder Apple TV Channel, Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Tubi TV, Cineverse, Midnight Pulp, Kanopy
Cure
(キュア)
A detective and a psychologist must solve a series of murders, but this killing spree is beyond both their fields.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1997
- Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa
- Cast Koji Yakusho, Tsuyoshi Ujiki, Anna Nakagawa, Yukijiro Hotaru, Yoriko Douguchi, Denden
- Genre Crime, Thriller, Horror, Mystery
- Available on Criterion Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video
The Vanishing
(Spoorloos)
Has anyone seen this woman?
- ✭ ✭
- Netherlands, France, West Germany • 1988
- Director George Sluizer
- Cast Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, Gène Bervoets, Johanna ter Steege, Gwen Eckhaus, Pierre Forget, Bernadette Le Saché
- Genre Horror, Thriller
- Available on Criterion Channel, Apple TV, Amazon Video
Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce 1080 Bruxelles
A lonely widowed housewife cares for her apartment and teenage son, and uses sex work to make ends meet.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Belgium, France • 1975
- Director Chantal Akerman
- Cast Delphine Seyrig, Jan Decorte, Henri Storck, Jacques Doniol-Valcroze, Yves Bical
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video
The Passion of Joan of Arc
(La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc)
The 15th-century teenage warrior Joan of Arc takes on the French church.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1928
- Director Carl Theodor Dreyer
- Cast Maria Falconetti, Eugène Silvain, André Berley, Maurice Schutz, Antonin Artaud, Michel Simon
- Genre Drama, History
- Available on Criterion Channel, FlixFling, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Tubi TV, JustWatchTV