The phrase "futile gesture" refers to an action or movement that is pointless, ineffective, and without achieving any significant result. Full definition
At the end of the film, in the aftermath of a sorrowful series of events that Bobby can only watch from afar, he makes one final, futile gesture of assistance. (larsenonfilm.com)
Aren't futile gestures, at times like this, facially unreasonable? (dailycaller.com)
We need to outgrow our long held suspicion that human symbolic creativity is just futile gesturing done only by lonely subjects in an uncaring universe. (religion-online.org)