22 Movies That Rule Despite the Characters Never Leaving One Place

These days, even the most forgettable rom-com has to take place against the backdrop of sweeping landscapes, the one-dimensional love interests bickering about their differing lifestyles as they amble along a scenic boardwalk and coming to new understandings on a rooftop amid the most breathtaking skyline you’ve ever seen. It’s all so unnecessary. 

For one thing, most of us don’t live on an island paradise or in a storybook village. If you’re going for anything but the cheapest escapism, that’s going to ring false. There are a lot of advantages to smaller-scale production values, too.

For example, it’s way cheaper. “I learned that if a TV series is running low on budget, they’ll do a ‘bottle episode’ where it’s just a few characters interacting in one single setting to cut down on costs,” Redditor xlateralussx told r/Movies, adding, “Thanks, Community!” It also shifts the focus more intensely on the characters and narrative than the setting. “The few off the top of my head I enjoyed are The Lighthouse, (My) Dinner with Andre and Secret Honor,” they continued.

They then asked for recommendations “for some good ‘bottle’ movies (just a couple characters in one setting),” and their fellow Redditors eagerly complied with their request.