Five great movies that happen in one day
There are movies out there that chronicle decades and generations, with certain filmmakers proving that working on an epic scale can render incredible results. Yet, so many fantastic and memorable stories have been told across one day, where countless events and encounters take place as the clock ticks onwards.
When you watch a film that takes place in one day, you’re reminded of how much you really can do in less than 24 hours. If you’re up early, you can squeeze enough into your day to make it feel like several. That’s what many films set in just one day can prove, although it’s rare that most of us will have days as eventful as the movies listed below.
Still, many movies set in one day emphasise the importance of finding something cinematic and poignant in the mundane. Whether the characters are just walking and talking or reflecting on a day full of arguments, confusion, and violence, these films highlight the small moments that make up our days – and, subsequently, our lives.
There are many great movies we could pick, like Dazed and Confused and Buffalo ‘66, but the choices below utilise the use of one day particularly well. The narrative has greater impact due to it taking place over such a short period of time.
Five great movies that happen in one day:
The Aviator’s Wife (Eric Rohmer, 1981)
Starting out in the French New Wave, Eric Rohmer went on to make countless movies in the decades that followed the end of the movement, proving himself to be one of the country’s most important directors. The Aviator’s Wife, the first entry in his Comedies and Proverbs series, remains one of his more underrated films, even though it is fantastic. It’s funny, heartfelt, and entertaining, with the events unfolding over the course of a day, starting in the early hours of the morning and ending when night falls.
We follow a young man named François, who is infatuated with the slightly older Anne. However, when he sees Anne talking to Christian, her ex lover, he becomes fixated on the idea that she is with another man, leading him on an adventure through Paris. He follows Christian, suspicious of his behaviour, and then meets a teenage girl who joins in with his infantile spying. It is good fun but also emotionally complex – what more could you want from a Rohmer film?
Cleo From 5 to 7 (Agnes Varda, 1962)
When Cleo, a self-obsessed singer living in ‘60s Paris, gets a tarot reading, she discovers that bad news might be on the horizon. She is awaiting the results of a test which will determine whether or not she has cancer, and as the hours pass by, her outlook on life begins to change. Agnes Varda uses lots of clever imagery in her film Cleo from 5 to 7 to explore as many themes as she can in 90 minutes, bringing our attention to Cleo’s objectification as a woman, and the looming presence of war and conflict in France.
It is a classic French film, regarded as one of the country’s finest exports, and for good reason. Cleo is fast-paced, features a great, emotionally-charged musical number, explores many themes, and attacks the male gaze that defines so much of cinema – and women’s lives. Set between the hours of five and seven in the evening, Varda’s film is one of the greatest to play out in more or less real-time.
Tangerine (Sean Baker, 2015)
Christmas Eve is the setting for many popular festive films, but one of the most unconventional is Tangerine. Filmed on several iPhone 5S cameras, Sean Baker’s unique film unravels over one of the most anticipated days of the year, although the events are far from family-friendly. We follow two transgender sex workers living in Hollywood, Sin-Dee and Alexandra. After Sin-Dee is released from jail, Alexandra alerts her friend that her boyfriend has been sleeping with a cisgender woman while she was away.
Sin-Dee’s quest to confront her boyfriend leads to an interesting series of events, both emotional and violent. The movie was highly praised for its depiction of transgender characters, as well as its inventive approach to filming. Due to being shot on an iPhone using a low budget, the film truly captures the sense of realism Baker was after, which is only emphasised by being set over the course of one day.
Before Sunrise (Richard Linklater, 1996)
One of the best romance movies of all time is undoubtedly Before Sunrise by Richard Linklater. It is full of spontaneity and genuine human emotion. Nothing feels contrived for Hollywood—this is a movie that allows us to truly get to know these characters, spending time with them as their night unfolds. We meet Celine and Jesse on a train, where they spark up a conversation and connect, leading the latter to ask Celine if she’ll spend a night walking around Vienna with him.
She accepts, and luckily, Jesse is a good guy with pure, romantic intentions. They visit a record store, get food, have sex in the park, and discuss the meaning of life and love. Their conversation flows so naturally, and it is a joy to witness them getting to know each other. By the morning, they’ve got no choice but to part ways, leading to another fantastic movie set in one day – Before Sunset.
Do The Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989)
Spike Lee’s most popular film, Do The Right Thing, is so successful for good reason. Using the hottest day of the year as a backdrop, Lee expertly allows racial tensions between a group of African American locals and the Italian American owners of the neighbourhood pizzeria to boil over. When Buggin’ Out, played by Giancarlo Esposito, questions the owners over the absence of famous black figures on the wall – he only has pictures of Italian Americans – chaos ensues for the rest of the film.
The fact that the movie is set across one day serves to emphasise how racism, police brutality, and white supremacy can lead to such sudden, intense moments of tragedy. All it takes is one act of hostility for violence to erupt and result in death, which Lee explores sensitively and poignantly. It is one of the most important movies about racism and one of the greatest to take place in less than 24 hours.
