"Mumblecore is the sole significant American indie film wave of the last 20 years to have emerged outside the ecosystem of the Sundance Film Festival," according to the New York Times, August 19, 2007. "The films are often anthropological studies of 20-something mating rituals, attuned to the halting rhythms and circular digressions of actual speech."

Writing for Filmmaker Magazine, Alicia Van Couvering has said, "The first aesthetic indicators (of the genre) are improvised dialogue and naturalistic performances, often by non-actors. The films employ handheld, vérité-style digital camerawork and long takes. Budgets are tiny. The plots hinge on everyday events. The stories are often obvious reflections of the filmmakers’ lives. Most characters are white and educated and pursue creative endeavors when not pursuing one another. They are sensitive. They are sincere."

A wonderfully succinct definition of the genre was provided by writer-director Paul Schrader in his Criterion Collection interview regarding the film Tiny Furniture. He said, "Mumblecore essentially refers to do-it-yourself cinema; me and my friends are going to make a movie about me and my friends talking about me and my friends. That's the sort of soul of the genre."

The following list was based initially on Wikipedia's listing of Mumblecore films, 2002~2012, in chronological order by release date. However, I have supplemented it with dozens of verified titles cited in other media, as noted, and compiled a companion list called Post-Mumblecore for those interested in the movement in more recent years.

I've recently added "mumblegore" titles to this list, and they are so-identified in the notes. If you see any missing titles and can provide a source link, I'll be happy to add them. Thanks!