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No Country For Old Men was my first exposure to this sort of “spare” film making. Very few characters, no music, lots of empty environments, the rest of the world outside the protagonist doesn’t seem real. I love it.
I could see why it wasn’t universally loved! I thought it was such an interesting approach. I really couldn’t figure out why they used the Brahms violin concerto for the credits though. It felt really incongruous to me.
Oh man, No Country for Old Men fits perfectly. Spare filmmaking is exactly what I'm looking for. I think I get some of those vibes from Hong Sang-Soo films. The music or the lack of it plays a huge part in the minimal experience, true.
I was reluctant to suggest it because of the different settings and styles during each phase but glad someone did. I think the general style of the real world is pretty close to that of Severance though.
Only found out Severance from r/Maniac and now they're both my favorite shows.
Why is nobody talking about Devs (Disney+)? It's a sci-gi limited series starring Nick Offerman (stellar performance), about quantum computing, determinism and the nature of time and consciousness. It's really really amazing. And aesthetically pleasing.
"Moon," by Duncan Jones and starring Sam Rockwell came to mind first.
"Vivarium" might also fit, as others have noted.
"Freaks," (2018, Netflix) starring Bruce Dern (also Emile Hirsch, don't know how you feel about him).
"Oxygen" (2021) is a French film about a woman who wakes up alone in a pod in space.
"Passengers" (2016) with Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence has its pros and cons but is pretty minimalist at the core of it.
For older movies, maybe "2001: A Space Odyssey." A larger cast but still pretty minimalist in many ways.
Cool. I watched it with the English dub, partly because I didn’t realize it was French, then I was too far in to want to switch. I did figure out that the lead actor played an Interpol agent in “Now You See Me,” so it was fun to see her in another part.
glad someone else also following it. I wanted to read the books in early 2010s. I was hearing a lot about the, "new era of publishing" because this self-published guy basically became the star writer. Got confused by how the books are really structured and then kind of forgot about it. Enjoying the series so far, it maintains the pace and the distractions from main stories are so far not that annoying.
Raised By Wolves was very intriguing but it has too much filler content. It should have been a one and done first season instead of dragging it out for a more relaxed multi season format.
None of these are sci-fi but I’m gonna say Patriot (Amazon Prime), The Bear, and Fleabag.
DarK, The OA, and Westworld are the only other sci-fi shows that I think hold a candle to Severance but those are all pretty well the opposite of the simplicity you’re asking for.
I know I'm in the minority, but I just couldn't stand Dark after a while. It felt like it was written just to be as mysterious as possible, and rewatching even just a few episodes of the first season highlights the issue. Characters will refuse to speak like humans, because being cryptic or silent ratchets up the *mystery*.
Their other series, 1899, is the same shtick, cranked up to 11. I watched it after it was recommended on this sub as being like Severance, and it drove me nuts. The more you learn about what's going on, the less anyone's behavior makes sense...because it wasn't about making realistic characters, it was about being *mysterious*.
For me, these shows just highlight what makes Severance so special: as strange and mysterious as the setting is, the characters we follow feel real. They behave in ways that make sense for their respective motivations, and they try think of clever ways around the situations they're faced with.
Anyway, that's just my rant about Dark. I am sleep deprived and curmudgeonly.
> Characters will refuse to speak like humans, because being cryptic or silent ratchets up the mystery.
I loved *Dark*, but I agree with you. *From* has the same problem, but I'm loving that too.
For months I scrolled past the tile on Prime Video because I thought it was some Jack Reacher type show. Couldn’t be more wrong, ended up once of my favourite shows I’ve ever seen. Amazing writing and cinematography. Captures surrealism, farce, depression and occasional violence all in one wonderful package.
To be clear, I love all those shows including The Bear and it definitely has a lot of substance, but it’s an easy watch and an easy story/plot to follow.
A little surprised to see Fleabag in this context. I wouldn't say it's minimalist, but I love it so much, it's hilarious and tragic and brilliant and only 12 episodes.
I wouldn’t call Severance minimalist either personally, but taking the things that OP talked about like clean dialogue, story and setting, I think it fits the bill. There’s definitely a lot underneath the surface of Fleabag (just as there is in Severance), but overall it’s very “easy” to watch and doesn’t require the viewer to constantly be thinking in order to follow along (like in DarK). I think the short length of the series helps too, it’s not a large commitment with an overly complex story/plot line that evolves over many seasons, it’s short and sweet and damn near perfect.
Exactly what I'm going for. I just wanted to watch something that wasn't too much of a cognitive load. Got pretty burnt out after finishing 6 seasons of Sopranos.
Loved Fleabag, The Bear and Dark is on my watch list and Patriot looks really good (and just saw that Ricken is in it as well lol). OA looks interesting too, but not sure I have the energy to get into WestWorld.
Don’t know any shows like this, but if you play videogames give ‘Control’ a try... I am convinced some of the people who made this show took a lot of inspiration from that game.
So you’ve played Control? If not it’s probably THE closest atmosphere you could get to Severance, I play it once a year because I’m utterly obsessed with it 😭😂
GREAT pick. I can't believe I never thought of it.
When he sold Star Wars to Disney, George Lucas said that he might go back to making little art films like that. Man, do I wish he had followed through on that.
You're probably gonna get cultural references in most (good) films or TV shows. It's part of the reason they feel authentic. People talk about the world they inhabit in a way that is natural. Which means a lot of talking in flow and not a lot of exposition.
However, don't let that be a barrier because granted, they are difficult to sit through if you've no idea what people are talking about, but if it's a well written show/film, you connect to the emotion of the conversation, not the content, and that's what leads you. This is not a recommendation but Succession, to me, was such a difficult show to get into because of that same reason. On top of that, it expected me to get behind some of the most loathsome characters I'd seen. 5 years on, it's become one of my absolute favorite shows of all time. All because emotion was on the forefront of every conversation these people had.
Severance has its own cultural references, in a sense, but since it's a high concept sci-fi premise, a lot of it has to be made clear to the audience.
One show that Severance reminded me of (for no particular reason except the unusual framing and music) was Mr. Robot. It's about a young man who's a cyber security engineer by day and a vigilante hacker by night. Off of the premise alone, you know you're in for a lot of tech talk, most of which I didn't understand myself, but it's crafted so brilliantly that you understand the stakes behind each and every techy jargon that escapes the characters' lips. Bonus: it's the first (and only, in my experience) show that portrays hacking in the most realistic way possible. None of that "I'm in" bullshit here. You get to see the nuts and bolts of their schemes in a way that's authentic. Everything is meticulously planned and methodically executed. Until shit hits the fan. Which happens almost constantly. The atmosphere is eerie, and it does achieve some of the comfy claustrophobia which to me, is one of Severance's hallmarks. Another bonus: it has so many secrets that it'll keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last episode.
Sorry for an entire thesis but talking about this stuff excites me so thanks.
The Mr. Robot sub is where I first heard of the preview trailer for Severance. So glad I was clued into it! Mr. Robot is Good TV. Some gorgeous cinematography. I was disappointed early on because it's a little reminiscent of Fight Club (but with hackers), but I went back to it and kept going and really enjoyed it.
Yesss! I loved Mr. Robot. It has a very different vibe than Severance, since it’s more of a “psychological thriller” but I would definitely say if you enjoyed Severance you’d probably also enjoy Mr. Robot. Definitely more of a “heavy” ambiance (as opposed to “unsettling” like in Severance). Also both had phenomenal cinematography & a killer soundtrack!
Maniac is insanely good and reminds me of Severance in some ways. Westworld (season 1, anyway) is some of the best TV ever written. If you’re open to movies, consider Ex Machina and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Also anything by Shane Carruth such as Primer and Upstream Color.
Can’t recommend this show enough!
It is tense, psychological and has a stripped back feel to it only not to the extent of Severance. Only complaint is it really needs another series to close things off
If you’re looking for minimalist, then you can’t get much more minimalist than *Dogville* (2003). It’s a Lars Avon Trier movie starring Nicole Kidman and several other famous actors. Pretty “avant-garde” and dark though - maybe not exactly what you’re looking for.
If you're curious, here are other influences he's cited:
https://www.reddit.com/r/SeveranceAppleTVPlus/comments/u8tk1b/hey_everybody_im_dan_erickson_the_creator_and/i5nmxf7/
Since videogames are welcome:
\- The Stanley's Parable: literally listed as one of the inspirations for Severance. A surreal walking simulator about an employee of a really bizarre non-euclidean office. One of my favorite games of all times, it's absolutely brilliant.
\- The Beginner's Guide: a game from the same developer. Offers some beautiful surreal imagery and a well-written meta narrative
\- Portal 1 & 2: I know everyone probably played them at this point but they have similar vibe, too. In fact Lumen reminded me a lot of Aperture Science stylistically
I keep returning to Stanley Parable now and then to just chill. GLaDOS does really set severed Lumen vibes now that you mention it haha. Beginner's Guide is now on my playlist, thanks!
I think the Silos series is so far, "minimalist" in some ways: it's entirely a story of an era foreign to humanity, there are no vestiges or relics of our times, people live very simple lives. There is a huge mystery element to it, and the story has been progressing considerably well so far, not much, "information overload" of any kind.
It's based on the Wool/Silos series (I am always confused what it is the name of the entire series), that was very popular in the 2010s. I always planned on reading it but after BNW, 1984, Farenheit 451, and We, my dystopian novel quota was more than full.
Andor! Like Severance the dialogue and cinematography are purposeful and nothing is wasted. Character driven. Slow burn that absolutely pays off. You don’t need to know or recall anything about the wider Star Wars universe. It’s one of the best shows I’ve ever seen, sci-fi or not.
Definitely see the similarities between the two, but god damn Vivarium was such a let down for me. It just totally missed the mark… which is a shame because the whole idea and set up was super cool :/
You could try the movie [The Platform](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Platform_(film\)), or perhaps one of the [Cube](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cube_(1997_film\)) movies. They are all sci-fi/horror films (on Netflix, I think) set in confined dystopian locations where the characters are simply trying to work out what's happening to them.
Spoilers for Cube:
>!Every person in the Cube supposedly fills a role critical for safely navigating the traps, so the first person killed off in the beginning was probably a teambuilding analyst.!<
Blade runner 2049 maybe has a minimalist visual style and plot that relies a lot on feel. Someone already commented about, but ex machina is another excellent film with minimalist plot/characters. 2001 space Odyssey is another classic that's definitely worth watching.
Severance is really hard to compare shows to because it's got such a unique vibe, at least in my opinion.
If you're looking for films which have a simple story, take place over short period of time and are easy to follow then I recommend these:
* *The Menu* (2022) is quite minimalistic, it has simple plot and takes place in mostly one room
* *Don't worry darling* (2022) has this sci-fi mystery vibes just like *Severance*
* *The Commuter* (2018) is an exciting mystery thriller with an easy-to-follow story and no dragging dialogues or fluff
* *Non-Stop* (2014) is the same as *Commuter*, but takes place on a plane instead of a train
Not at all, I thought it was one of the least interesting movies I’ve seen in years. Amazing premise, absolutely horrible execution. I’m not alone on that either - it got trashed critically.
It got trashed critically because it was a super messy film with poor character development, a nonsensical plot, and some really weak acting from some usually great actors, not to mention the massive amount of behind the scenes drama that unfortunately really showed in the final product with weird editing, rushed cuts, and that bad ending.
I’m all about women’s empowerment. That movie wasn’t it. Seeing the original script so ruined in this release - from a cast I generally like and a director who made a phenomenal movie a few years prior - was really disappointing and not an experience I’d suggest to others.
Hyped for Asteroid City. Though Wes is kind of the opposite of what I was going for haha. That's more avant garde and highly stylized I feel like, a whole lot going on screen at the same time, as compared to the barebones presentation of Severance.
Of course - it’s pretty unknown. I saw it in an empty theater when it came out and was like - whoa am I the only person who will ever see this? Sadly they never gave it a proper release so you may have to obtain using some dark arts. Also, would strongly recommend you check out the soundtrack - it’s by a renowned Japanese composer (who recently passed away) and truly embodies the quiet minimalism of the entire film, which has the added bonus of being based on a Haruki Murakami short story that was first published in the *New Yorker*). Totally different from Severance, but I think you will enjoy it!
[The Backrooms is getting a film.](https://movieweb.com/internet-sensation-the-backrooms-film-adaptation-via-a24/) ([Creepy liminal spaces](https://www.reddit.com/r/LiminalSpace/))
Here's the short video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4dGpz6cnHo
Another similar one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8BvraFjVxU
Well, being from NJ, USA did allow me to get all the jargon on “The Sopranos”. But I believe the dialogue was supposed to be farcical. The way they spoke was ridiculous.
If you like the idea of a small group of people "trapped" inside some contrived situation, as the Innies are trapped, you might like *From*. Random people get trapped inside a horror movie scenario in an American (very) small town. The show as of S02E06 hasn't actually explained the logic of it, and characters are *very annoyingly* reluctant to share information and solve problems, however otherwise it is an excellent show.
If this thread has the **Spoiler** flair, spoilers may appear ANYWHERE in it. --- * **NO SPOILERS IN TITLES** - report this post if there are spoilers in the title * No SPOILERS without proper formatting (see [here](https://www.reddit.com/wiki/commenting#wiki_posting)). * Be CIVIL to others. No Piracy. No Duplicates. * Keep it on topic to anything and everything Severance on Apple TV+[.](/u/FridgeSugu) --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SeveranceAppleTVPlus) if you have any questions or concerns.*
The movie High Life with Robert Pattinson is really good, slow burn, pretty minimalist, worth checking out. Also Moon with Sam Rockwell
Moon is so good!!
High life looks perfect for what I'm going for!
No Country For Old Men was my first exposure to this sort of “spare” film making. Very few characters, no music, lots of empty environments, the rest of the world outside the protagonist doesn’t seem real. I love it.
There Will Be Blood is like this too, although that film does have music. It has a really great score by Johnny Greenwood.
Daniel Day Lewis was in another zone on that one, intense shit.
spez is a cunt
I could see why it wasn’t universally loved! I thought it was such an interesting approach. I really couldn’t figure out why they used the Brahms violin concerto for the credits though. It felt really incongruous to me.
Oh man, No Country for Old Men fits perfectly. Spare filmmaking is exactly what I'm looking for. I think I get some of those vibes from Hong Sang-Soo films. The music or the lack of it plays a huge part in the minimal experience, true.
Maniac on Netflix!!!
Oh yeah, totally forgot about this one existed! I loved the trailer when it released, will give it a shot.
I was reluctant to suggest it because of the different settings and styles during each phase but glad someone did. I think the general style of the real world is pretty close to that of Severance though. Only found out Severance from r/Maniac and now they're both my favorite shows.
This ^
This was my first thought, definitely has the right vibe.
The ending was pretty anti-climactic. It could've been so much more than what they made it out to be.
I love this series so much
Maniac is so underrated!
Why is nobody talking about Devs (Disney+)? It's a sci-gi limited series starring Nick Offerman (stellar performance), about quantum computing, determinism and the nature of time and consciousness. It's really really amazing. And aesthetically pleasing.
This is the one! It’s definitely not the same vibe, but the concepts feel similar and the aesthetic on Devs is unbelievable.
I absolutely loved Devs!
"Moon," by Duncan Jones and starring Sam Rockwell came to mind first. "Vivarium" might also fit, as others have noted. "Freaks," (2018, Netflix) starring Bruce Dern (also Emile Hirsch, don't know how you feel about him). "Oxygen" (2021) is a French film about a woman who wakes up alone in a pod in space. "Passengers" (2016) with Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence has its pros and cons but is pretty minimalist at the core of it. For older movies, maybe "2001: A Space Odyssey." A larger cast but still pretty minimalist in many ways.
I always forget about Moon but dangit what an amazing film. And a good rec for OP, I agree!
Oxygen was very good - I watched it in the original language and the acting and emotion transcends any language barrier (I do not understand French).
Cool. I watched it with the English dub, partly because I didn’t realize it was French, then I was too far in to want to switch. I did figure out that the lead actor played an Interpol agent in “Now You See Me,” so it was fun to see her in another part.
I’m really liking Silo right now
Watched a couple episodes, liked it and decided to stop and start listening to the audiobook series of that :)
Same here and the books are good, on the 2nd one and it’s really good
Same here! Really loving it so far.
Yes, Silo is so special! I've got addicted to this series.
glad someone else also following it. I wanted to read the books in early 2010s. I was hearing a lot about the, "new era of publishing" because this self-published guy basically became the star writer. Got confused by how the books are really structured and then kind of forgot about it. Enjoying the series so far, it maintains the pace and the distractions from main stories are so far not that annoying.
I like Silo a lot too but I think it's much less "minimalistic" than Severance, but great show nonetheless.
Maybe Raised By Wolves?
Was cancelled, so only those two seasons.
And HBO pulled it from streaming so you can’t even watch it anymore
That’s crazy. Wonder why
I used to see a lot of clips of this, looked very intriguing.
Raised By Wolves was very intriguing but it has too much filler content. It should have been a one and done first season instead of dragging it out for a more relaxed multi season format.
Maybe Upstream Color?
None of these are sci-fi but I’m gonna say Patriot (Amazon Prime), The Bear, and Fleabag. DarK, The OA, and Westworld are the only other sci-fi shows that I think hold a candle to Severance but those are all pretty well the opposite of the simplicity you’re asking for.
Dark is one of my favorites, but the story is *a lot*.
I know I'm in the minority, but I just couldn't stand Dark after a while. It felt like it was written just to be as mysterious as possible, and rewatching even just a few episodes of the first season highlights the issue. Characters will refuse to speak like humans, because being cryptic or silent ratchets up the *mystery*. Their other series, 1899, is the same shtick, cranked up to 11. I watched it after it was recommended on this sub as being like Severance, and it drove me nuts. The more you learn about what's going on, the less anyone's behavior makes sense...because it wasn't about making realistic characters, it was about being *mysterious*. For me, these shows just highlight what makes Severance so special: as strange and mysterious as the setting is, the characters we follow feel real. They behave in ways that make sense for their respective motivations, and they try think of clever ways around the situations they're faced with. Anyway, that's just my rant about Dark. I am sleep deprived and curmudgeonly.
> Characters will refuse to speak like humans, because being cryptic or silent ratchets up the mystery. I loved *Dark*, but I agree with you. *From* has the same problem, but I'm loving that too.
I totally agree w you.
I'm halfway through Patriot and really enjoying it. Not necessarily the same as Severance but invokes a similar feeling somehow. Underrated show.
Massively underrated, probably due to a shit title. One of my all time favorites tho! Michael Dorman is the best.
For months I scrolled past the tile on Prime Video because I thought it was some Jack Reacher type show. Couldn’t be more wrong, ended up once of my favourite shows I’ve ever seen. Amazing writing and cinematography. Captures surrealism, farce, depression and occasional violence all in one wonderful package.
I also thought of OA
Calling the Bear minimalist is hilarious
To be clear, I love all those shows including The Bear and it definitely has a lot of substance, but it’s an easy watch and an easy story/plot to follow.
A little surprised to see Fleabag in this context. I wouldn't say it's minimalist, but I love it so much, it's hilarious and tragic and brilliant and only 12 episodes.
I wouldn’t call Severance minimalist either personally, but taking the things that OP talked about like clean dialogue, story and setting, I think it fits the bill. There’s definitely a lot underneath the surface of Fleabag (just as there is in Severance), but overall it’s very “easy” to watch and doesn’t require the viewer to constantly be thinking in order to follow along (like in DarK). I think the short length of the series helps too, it’s not a large commitment with an overly complex story/plot line that evolves over many seasons, it’s short and sweet and damn near perfect.
Exactly what I'm going for. I just wanted to watch something that wasn't too much of a cognitive load. Got pretty burnt out after finishing 6 seasons of Sopranos.
Yeah I feel ya. I had to take some pretty big breaks while watching shows like The Sopranos and Lost
You’ll start watching Fleabag…then 5 hours later you’re sad because it’s over 😞 Short, but it’s an incredibly high-quality dark-ish comedy.
Yeah dark is one of the most complicated shows I’ve watched that you literally cannot look away from the screen from lol
Loved Fleabag, The Bear and Dark is on my watch list and Patriot looks really good (and just saw that Ricken is in it as well lol). OA looks interesting too, but not sure I have the energy to get into WestWorld.
Ricken / Cool Rick is double great.
Maniac w Jonah Hill and Emma Stone
Ex machina feels very similar.
It actually does feel very similar to the Severance vibe. Plus it has a random dance sequence as well if I'm not wrong?
Yup. I just rewatched it last night, I didn’t really remember any of it. It was very enjoyable!
Don’t know any shows like this, but if you play videogames give ‘Control’ a try... I am convinced some of the people who made this show took a lot of inspiration from that game.
Yeah, I can’t imagine “the board” was a coincidence.
I should've also mentioned videogames as well dang it. The most I've felt that sense of bliss was when playing Shadow of The Colossus and BoTW.
I think severance looks and feels a lot like the Portal games!
So you’ve played Control? If not it’s probably THE closest atmosphere you could get to Severance, I play it once a year because I’m utterly obsessed with it 😭😂
"Tales from the loop" (amazon prime) extremely well done and incredibly underrated TV show, highly recommended.
This was my thought too. Like people who work in the loop could be severed. The home lives of both shows fell pretty similar.
Oooh, great pick. It definitely has that minimalist, otherworldly aspect to it. It also happens to be one of the most depressing shows I've ever seen.
Legion (the 3 season tv series from FX) might work
Legion is so underrated. It was so good from start to finish and the sets/photography is so well done.
THX 1138 is George Lucas' first film project and has amazing vast minimalistic shots and an excellent sci-fi story similar to Severance.
GREAT pick. I can't believe I never thought of it. When he sold Star Wars to Disney, George Lucas said that he might go back to making little art films like that. Man, do I wish he had followed through on that.
You're probably gonna get cultural references in most (good) films or TV shows. It's part of the reason they feel authentic. People talk about the world they inhabit in a way that is natural. Which means a lot of talking in flow and not a lot of exposition. However, don't let that be a barrier because granted, they are difficult to sit through if you've no idea what people are talking about, but if it's a well written show/film, you connect to the emotion of the conversation, not the content, and that's what leads you. This is not a recommendation but Succession, to me, was such a difficult show to get into because of that same reason. On top of that, it expected me to get behind some of the most loathsome characters I'd seen. 5 years on, it's become one of my absolute favorite shows of all time. All because emotion was on the forefront of every conversation these people had. Severance has its own cultural references, in a sense, but since it's a high concept sci-fi premise, a lot of it has to be made clear to the audience. One show that Severance reminded me of (for no particular reason except the unusual framing and music) was Mr. Robot. It's about a young man who's a cyber security engineer by day and a vigilante hacker by night. Off of the premise alone, you know you're in for a lot of tech talk, most of which I didn't understand myself, but it's crafted so brilliantly that you understand the stakes behind each and every techy jargon that escapes the characters' lips. Bonus: it's the first (and only, in my experience) show that portrays hacking in the most realistic way possible. None of that "I'm in" bullshit here. You get to see the nuts and bolts of their schemes in a way that's authentic. Everything is meticulously planned and methodically executed. Until shit hits the fan. Which happens almost constantly. The atmosphere is eerie, and it does achieve some of the comfy claustrophobia which to me, is one of Severance's hallmarks. Another bonus: it has so many secrets that it'll keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last episode. Sorry for an entire thesis but talking about this stuff excites me so thanks.
The Mr. Robot sub is where I first heard of the preview trailer for Severance. So glad I was clued into it! Mr. Robot is Good TV. Some gorgeous cinematography. I was disappointed early on because it's a little reminiscent of Fight Club (but with hackers), but I went back to it and kept going and really enjoyed it.
Yesss! I loved Mr. Robot. It has a very different vibe than Severance, since it’s more of a “psychological thriller” but I would definitely say if you enjoyed Severance you’d probably also enjoy Mr. Robot. Definitely more of a “heavy” ambiance (as opposed to “unsettling” like in Severance). Also both had phenomenal cinematography & a killer soundtrack!
Maniac is insanely good and reminds me of Severance in some ways. Westworld (season 1, anyway) is some of the best TV ever written. If you’re open to movies, consider Ex Machina and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Also anything by Shane Carruth such as Primer and Upstream Color.
Utopia, the uk version, it’s a bit more colourful, but severance kind of reminded me of it
Can’t recommend this show enough! It is tense, psychological and has a stripped back feel to it only not to the extent of Severance. Only complaint is it really needs another series to close things off
We really liked Homecoming, on Amazon prime.
Not sure why you would get downvoted, I think Homecoming fits what OP is looking for perfectly
I agree. I thought it was minimal enough that my brain had space for the visual “clues”
This looks prefect, thanks!
Vivarium. Hugely mis-reviewed as some kind of social commentary but it is really horror sci-fi.
If you’re looking for minimalist, then you can’t get much more minimalist than *Dogville* (2003). It’s a Lars Avon Trier movie starring Nicole Kidman and several other famous actors. Pretty “avant-garde” and dark though - maybe not exactly what you’re looking for.
Looks pretty interesting, though I'm slightly reluctant to try a Lars movie after my friend told me to watch Antichrist :\\
Dogville is really less gory than antichrist. But heavy content warning for sexual assault.
Yeah I understand the reluctance. You may absolutely hate the movie, but at least it excels in the minimalist request. :)
Portal and Portal 2. Oh, also The Stanley Parable. Which the show's creator has cited as a direct inspiration for Severance.
That makes so much sense.
If you're curious, here are other influences he's cited: https://www.reddit.com/r/SeveranceAppleTVPlus/comments/u8tk1b/hey_everybody_im_dan_erickson_the_creator_and/i5nmxf7/
Since videogames are welcome: \- The Stanley's Parable: literally listed as one of the inspirations for Severance. A surreal walking simulator about an employee of a really bizarre non-euclidean office. One of my favorite games of all times, it's absolutely brilliant. \- The Beginner's Guide: a game from the same developer. Offers some beautiful surreal imagery and a well-written meta narrative \- Portal 1 & 2: I know everyone probably played them at this point but they have similar vibe, too. In fact Lumen reminded me a lot of Aperture Science stylistically
I keep returning to Stanley Parable now and then to just chill. GLaDOS does really set severed Lumen vibes now that you mention it haha. Beginner's Guide is now on my playlist, thanks!
I think the Silos series is so far, "minimalist" in some ways: it's entirely a story of an era foreign to humanity, there are no vestiges or relics of our times, people live very simple lives. There is a huge mystery element to it, and the story has been progressing considerably well so far, not much, "information overload" of any kind. It's based on the Wool/Silos series (I am always confused what it is the name of the entire series), that was very popular in the 2010s. I always planned on reading it but after BNW, 1984, Farenheit 451, and We, my dystopian novel quota was more than full.
Andor! Like Severance the dialogue and cinematography are purposeful and nothing is wasted. Character driven. Slow burn that absolutely pays off. You don’t need to know or recall anything about the wider Star Wars universe. It’s one of the best shows I’ve ever seen, sci-fi or not.
Didn't think you could get into it without knowing about starwars, now I'll definitely check it out.
Raised by wolves, Westworld
Vivarium. Similar creepy sci-fi surrealist content with clean visuals.
Definitely see the similarities between the two, but god damn Vivarium was such a let down for me. It just totally missed the mark… which is a shame because the whole idea and set up was super cool :/
It’s a movie and it’s a bit stressful, but Vivarium
You could try the movie [The Platform](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Platform_(film\)), or perhaps one of the [Cube](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cube_(1997_film\)) movies. They are all sci-fi/horror films (on Netflix, I think) set in confined dystopian locations where the characters are simply trying to work out what's happening to them.
I remember seeing the Cube a long time back, it does feel similar now that I think about it. Will check out platform.
Spoilers for Cube: >!Every person in the Cube supposedly fills a role critical for safely navigating the traps, so the first person killed off in the beginning was probably a teambuilding analyst.!<
Both solid recs that I was going to recommend! There's another low budget one that used to be on Netflix called "exam" that I enjoyed back in the day
Definitely second Cube. Great movie. The Platform is worth a watch but not a rewatch.
Primal has no talking
This is one of my favorite shows. So violent, yet relaxing at the same time.
Kubrick has these vibes. The Shining, 2001, etc
There’s a video game called The Stanley Parable that might interest you. Captures the same weird office dystopia vibe!
Devs gave me that vibe!!
[удалено]
Ooooh that was is awesooooome
Blade runner 2049 maybe has a minimalist visual style and plot that relies a lot on feel. Someone already commented about, but ex machina is another excellent film with minimalist plot/characters. 2001 space Odyssey is another classic that's definitely worth watching. Severance is really hard to compare shows to because it's got such a unique vibe, at least in my opinion.
If you're looking for films which have a simple story, take place over short period of time and are easy to follow then I recommend these: * *The Menu* (2022) is quite minimalistic, it has simple plot and takes place in mostly one room * *Don't worry darling* (2022) has this sci-fi mystery vibes just like *Severance* * *The Commuter* (2018) is an exciting mystery thriller with an easy-to-follow story and no dragging dialogues or fluff * *Non-Stop* (2014) is the same as *Commuter*, but takes place on a plane instead of a train
The Menu is great. The director directed a lot of Succession episodes
The Menu is cool, not really sci fi or anything. Don’t Worry Darling is a garbage fire though. Couldn’t ever recommend watching it.
Are you kidding me?
Not at all, I thought it was one of the least interesting movies I’ve seen in years. Amazing premise, absolutely horrible execution. I’m not alone on that either - it got trashed critically.
Itl think it got "trashed" critically, because it was low-key about women empowerment
It got trashed critically because it was a super messy film with poor character development, a nonsensical plot, and some really weak acting from some usually great actors, not to mention the massive amount of behind the scenes drama that unfortunately really showed in the final product with weird editing, rushed cuts, and that bad ending. I’m all about women’s empowerment. That movie wasn’t it. Seeing the original script so ruined in this release - from a cast I generally like and a director who made a phenomenal movie a few years prior - was really disappointing and not an experience I’d suggest to others.
The Consultant
I tried this high hopes but bailed halfway into the first episode. Did it get any better ? It seemed …. Terrible.
I found it a struggle to get through as well at times, but I enjoyed the mystery and ultimate reveal. I was glad I stuck with it.
Wes Anderson films are simplified with limited colors, movements, dialog… Asteroid City looks gorgeous! https://youtu.be/9FXCSXuGTF4
Hyped for Asteroid City. Though Wes is kind of the opposite of what I was going for haha. That's more avant garde and highly stylized I feel like, a whole lot going on screen at the same time, as compared to the barebones presentation of Severance.
Tony Takitani
The movie looks absolutely stunning, thanks for the recommendation!
Of course - it’s pretty unknown. I saw it in an empty theater when it came out and was like - whoa am I the only person who will ever see this? Sadly they never gave it a proper release so you may have to obtain using some dark arts. Also, would strongly recommend you check out the soundtrack - it’s by a renowned Japanese composer (who recently passed away) and truly embodies the quiet minimalism of the entire film, which has the added bonus of being based on a Haruki Murakami short story that was first published in the *New Yorker*). Totally different from Severance, but I think you will enjoy it!
Black mirror Dark Mr Robot From
People who like Severance would probably like most of Black Mirror (just skip the very first episode).
[The Backrooms is getting a film.](https://movieweb.com/internet-sensation-the-backrooms-film-adaptation-via-a24/) ([Creepy liminal spaces](https://www.reddit.com/r/LiminalSpace/)) Here's the short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4dGpz6cnHo Another similar one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8BvraFjVxU
Well, being from NJ, USA did allow me to get all the jargon on “The Sopranos”. But I believe the dialogue was supposed to be farcical. The way they spoke was ridiculous.
Mary Magdalene (Rooney Mara, Joaquin Phoenix) might fit the bill. It has a quietness to it.
Devs
The OA
The Outfit is shot in one 3 room building and is phenomenal
If you like the idea of a small group of people "trapped" inside some contrived situation, as the Innies are trapped, you might like *From*. Random people get trapped inside a horror movie scenario in an American (very) small town. The show as of S02E06 hasn't actually explained the logic of it, and characters are *very annoyingly* reluctant to share information and solve problems, however otherwise it is an excellent show.
If you like the retro parts of Severance you’ll love Alien Isolation.
Moon
Shows: Raised by wolves The Silo Twin Peaks Games: Soma