For the early chapters of film history, silent movies were the standard for the medium, with creatives of the era making the most out of technological limitations. However, as technology advanced and audible dialogue became the new standard, silent movies were quickly phased out and deemed to be widely unnecessary and uninteresting to the public. This hasn't stopped the occasional silent film and films with no spoken dialogue being released in the modern era, proving that while they may not be the standard, they still hold a place in the zeitgeist of filmmaking.

Whether it be an experimental concept that is greatly emphasized by a lack of dialogue or a distinct love letter to the classic era of filmmaking, there are many reasons why a film would choose to be silent in the 21st century. Especially with decades upon decades of silent films being outclassed and considered technologically inferior to standard dialogue-focused films, it makes for a unique and effective experience to see a modern filmmaker thrive despite the set limitations.

10 'The Triplets of Belleville' (2003)

Directed by Sylvain Chomet

The Triplets of Belleville is a French animated comedy that follows an elderly woman, Madame Souza, in her quest to rescue her grandson, a Tour de France cyclist champion, after the French mafia kidnaps him. She soon finds herself in the bustling city of Belleville, where she is accompanied in her quest by her grandson's dog as well as the titular Triplets of Belleville, a trio of 1930s music hall singers. The film has minimal dialogue and instead expresses its story and sequences through song and pantomime, going hand in hand with the gorgeous animation to create a stunning tour de force.

Especially for the era in which it came out, The Triplets of Belleville touts stunning animation that does a wondrous job of combining the best of 2D and 3D animation of the era. The music that serves in the place of traditional dialogue also does an exceptional job of getting the audience invested and transported into the strange fictional city of Belleville and its array of unorthodox inhabitants. The film is just one of many exceptional animated French films that break barriers and carve a path for themselves with their creativity and charm.

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9 'Blood Tea and Red String' (2006)

Directed by Christiane Cegavske

A beautifully gothic stop-motion fairy tale for adults, Blood Tea and Red String is a meticulously crafted and fully realized cinematic vision that spent 13 years in production. The film follows a group of aristocratic White Mice and their ongoing battle against the Creatures Who Dwell Under the Oak, as they compete for the desire and love of a doll. It all began when the mice commissioned the creatures to create a doll for them, but she proved to be so beautiful that the creatures fell in love with her and refused to give her up to the mice.

There is no spoken dialogue present within Blood Tea and Red String, with the film allowing its beautiful animation and fairy tale story to speak through visuals without words, thanks to the exceptional score by Mark Growden. It's a genuine piece of art that shows the furthest extent of exactly what is possible in the realm of stop-motion animation, as well as being a love letter to the darker Grimm fairy tales of old.

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8 'Sasquatch Sunset' (2024)

Directed by David Zellner and Nathan Zellner

Sasquatch Sunset is a wild and strange examination into the lives of a quartet of sasquatches living out their lives in the forests of North America, seemingly as the last of their kind as they live their simple and isolated lives. They fight for survival as they scrounge for berries and explore the vast open world as they find themselves inching closer and closer to a confrontation with the contemporary world around them.

While the sasquatches in the film do speak and communicate with each other, all the "dialogue" in the film is a series of grunts and animalistic noises, with the sasquatches' animated performances doing most of the storytelling. It makes for one of the strangest film experiences in recent memory as we watch this unorthodox family go about their lives, from hitting trees with sticks and eating berries to going face-to-face with mountain lions and having intercourse. While the film's distinct comedic style won't jibe with everyone, it's certainly worth a watch just because of how unique of a film it is, especially in today's film climate.

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7 'Silent Night' (2023)

Directed by John Woo

A wild and over-the-top yuletide action film from John Woo, Silent Night follows tormented father Brian Godlock (Joel Kinnaman), who witnesses his son die on Christmas Eve when caught in a gang's crossfire. He was also injured in the shootout, giving him a painful wound that has cost his voice, yet this doesn't stop him from his new mission of vengeance against those who took his son against him. After a painful training regimen, he finds the strength within himself to avenge his son's death.

The mute affliction of the main character finds itself influencing the entire film, transforming the film into a silent, dialogue-less display of action revenge that serves to let its brutality speak louder than any word could. The film follows in the steps of other recent Christmas-time action films like Violent Night and brings a level of brutality and gritty violence into the mixture to make a perfect blending of seemingly opposite tones. The lack of dialogue in the film serves to emphasize the action much more in the film, making it a highly memorable action experience.

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6 'Hundreds of Beavers' (2024)

Directed by Mike Cheslik

A beautiful, modern-day love letter to classic silent cinema and slapstick cartoons, Hundreds of Beavers follows a drunken applejack salesman stranded and forced to fight for survival during a harsh 19th-century winter. As he slowly learns how to trap and get a leg up on the variety of different animals in the forest, he sets his sights on becoming a fur trapper, going head-to-head with the animals in hopes of winning over a shopkeeper's daughter. Eventually, his crimes against the animal kingdom begin to catch up to him, as he is forced to go face-to-face with hundreds of beavers.

Hundreds of Beavers has a distinct, in-your-face manic energy that gives it the same tone as a classic Looney Tunes cartoon, yet put together in live action with comically over-the-top green screen effects and costumes. Much like the earliest slapstick cartoons and comedies of the golden age of Hollywood, the film uses its outstanding visual gags and comedy in place of dialogue, with the story being simple enough to follow without spoken dialogue. The film has quickly attained a powerful reputation since its release and is sure to be one of the most iconic cult classics of recent memory.

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5 'All is Lost' (2013)

Directed by J.C. Chandor

All is Lost is a powerful action drama that sees Robert Redford as a man who finds himself lost at sea on a solo Indian Ocean voyage, having awoken to the realization that his vessel is taking on water after a collision. With his radio and navigation equipment disabled, his situation only finds ways to get worse and worse as he travels headfirst into a violent storm, as well as dangerous killer animals circling and approaching for the kill.

Despite a singular monologue from Redford at the beginning of the film, All is Lost tells its entire story of determination and human will through silence, letting the disaster of the situation speak for itself. Even despite the complete lack of dialogue for the majority of the film, Redford provides what is easily one of his best performances, conveying so much emotion and pain as he finds the willpower within himself to fight for his life.

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4 'Robot Dreams' (2023)

Directed by Pablo Berger

Robot Dreams is a beautifully poignant animated tragicomedy that follows the unexpected friendship between a dog and a robot living in New York in 1984. The dog originally built the robot after being tired of living a lonesome life, creating a powerful friendship in the process that he never could have expected, to the point where the duo becomes seemingly inseparable. However, all good things sadly must come to an end, as Dog is forced to eventually say goodbye to his new robotic friend.

Robot Dreams is brilliant in its portrayal of the small, innocuous aspects of friendship that help define the feelings of bonding and togetherness as a whole, without having to use a single line of dialogue to establish this world-renowned feeling. The film made massive waves upon its release, even being nominated for Best Animated Feature at the most recent Academy Awards, as it continues to impact and move audiences worldwide with its timeless and universal themes and story.

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3 'Mad God' (2021)

Directed by Phil Tippett

Mad God is a masterful stop-motion concoction of nightmares and chaos from Phil Tippett, a legendary visual effects artist known for his work on Jurassic Park, Starship Troopers and Return of the Jedi. The film's loose story follows a mysterious figure known as The Assassin as he travels deeper and deeper into a hellscape filled with tortured souls, technological nightmares, and unholy abominations around every corner. As the figure delves deeper and deeper into the chaos, his survivability grows slimmer and slimmer by the second.

It took Tippett over 30 years of work to bring Mad God to life, fine-tuning and perfectly executing this daunting cacophony of nightmares and creatures. The film's complete lack of dialogue as the assassin embarks on his quest server only brings more emphasis to the neverending barrage of disturbing creatures and imagery brought to life through the masterful stop-motion animation. Its darker tone and frequent disgusting visuals will turn away some, but those who can stomach such grim material will uncover a genuine work of art underneath.

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2 'The Red Turtle' (2016)

Directed by Michael Dudok de Wit