Slow Cinema

Traditions in World Cinema

by Tiago de Luca (Editor), Nuno Barradas Jorge (Editor), Elena Gorfinkel (Contributor)

In the context of a frantic world that celebrates instantaneity and speed, a number of cinemas steeped in contemplation, silence and duration have garnered significant critical attention in recent years, thus resonating with a larger sociocultural movement whose aim is to rescue extended temporal structures from the accelerated tempo of late-capitalism. Although not part of a structured film movement, directors such as Carlos Reygadas, Tsai Ming-liang, Bela Tarr, Pedro Costa and Kelly Reichardt have been largely subsumed under the term 'slow cinema'. But what exactly is slow cinema? Is it a strictly recent phenomenon or an overarching cinematic tradition? And how exactly do slow cinemas interrelate on an aesthetic, technical and political level?
Deploying the concept of slowness as an umbrella category under which filmmakers and traditions from different historical and geographical backgrounds can fruitfully converge, this innovative collection of essays interrogates and expands the frameworks that have generally informed slow cinema debates. Repositioning the term in a broader theoretical space, the book combines an array of fine-grained studies that will provide valuable insight into the notion of slowness in the cinema, while mapping out past and contemporary slow films across the globe.
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Genres: Film, Nonfiction

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[Madelyn]

“Accused as slow cinema often is of purposeless drift, its objective is nonetheless clear enough; this is a form of film whose final destination is always presence. A condition of possibility, when it comes to presence, seems to be duration; it is at least very difficult to imagine a form of presence that does not rely on temporal unfolding, on duration” (Grønstad 277)

[Nick]

Didn't read all the individual essays as there were many directors and films I'm not familiar with, but those that I did read were great. Certainly gave me a long list of films to check out.

[Aljoša Toplak]

Good multi-layered introduction to a deeply intriguing movement in contemporary cinema, a collection of articles that might not present the most easily digestible read, but do prove to be quite stimulating! Took me half a year 😅

[epeesh]

再借一次，这本书很有启发。

[Stuart Halford]

Broadly thought provoking but like so much academic writing a tad on the self indulgent side in some sections. Cloaking the obvious with a veil of obfuscation does not profundity make.