Hard Movies For: Damsharas

If you want to move beyond mainstream blockbusters and truly test your friends’ movie knowledge — and miming skills — here are the films that separate casual players from charades champions. Why it’s brutal: The protagonist has no short-term memory. How do you mime amnesia ? How do you signal backward narrative structure ? Most attempts end with someone tapping their head confusedly, which the audience misreads as “thinking,” leading to wrong guesses like A Beautiful Mind .

The actor gives up and just makes a horrified face for two minutes. Someone yells “The Shining!” Time’s up. 5. Locke (2013) Why it’s brutal: The entire film is Tom Hardy driving a car and taking phone calls. No other characters appear on screen. No explosions. No car chases. Just a man in a BMW talking about concrete pours. hard movies for damsharas

Your team shouts “Harry Potter!” (because of Death), then “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey!” (also Death + chess). No one ever gets it right. 3. 12 Angry Men (1957) Why it’s brutal: Twelve men. One room. They talk. That’s it. There’s no action, no costume change, no iconic prop besides a table and a fan. Mime “deliberation.” Mime “reasonable doubt.” Mime “juror number 8 changing everyone’s mind.” If you want to move beyond mainstream blockbusters

Mime writing on your hand (a key plot point), then repeatedly “forgetting” what you just did. Expect groans. 2. The Seventh Seal (1957) Why it’s brutal: You’re supposed to mime a medieval knight playing chess with Death. On a beach. During the Black Plague. Unless your group is full of film students, this devolves into someone pretending to move chess pieces while dying dramatically. How do you signal backward narrative structure

Here’s a short, interesting article-style piece on — perfect for advanced players looking for a real challenge. Beyond “Titanic”: The Art of the Impossible Dumb Charade You’ve nailed Jurassic Park (dinosaur claws + broken fence). You’ve aced Frozen (shivering + building a snowman). But then comes that one movie. The room goes silent. Your team stares. The actor looks like they’re having a seizure. Welcome to hard mode Dumb Charades .

Actor mimes holding a steering wheel and a phone. Team shouts “Drive!” (no), “Phone Booth!” (no), “Tom Hardy!” (not a movie title). Defeat. 6. My Dinner with Andre (1981) Why it’s brutal: Two men sit at a restaurant table and talk philosophy for two hours. No plot twists. No costumes. No dramatic gestures. Mime “dinner” (they get The Godfather — cannoli scene). Mime “conversation” (they get Before Sunrise ). You lose. 7. Russian Ark (2002) Why it’s brutal: The entire film is one continuous 96-minute Steadicam shot through a Russian palace. No cuts. How do you signal “single take”? Most people mime a camera, which gets guessed as The Blair Witch Project (found footage) or Birdman (also long takes, but more famous).