CCC FAQ #9 : How should I approach watching a contemplative film?
Contemporary Contemplative Cinema Frequently Asked Questions #9 :
For this, you may need to invest in a moment, peaceful and whole, uninterrupted by distractions, in order to dedicate your full attention to the immersive universe created by the film. So set the mood right…
With an open-minded attitude your rewarding experience of the film comes a long way. Check prejudices and preconceptions at the door, embrace freely the exercice with tolerance and fairness, to give yourself the chance to sympathize respectfully with what might be a tough nut to crack. It’s all a matter of being in the right mindset to let yourself engage properly with the dreamscape reality of Contemplative Cinema.
Demanding art cinema is not like eating your vegetables as a kid… it means fighting off your boredom as a grown up and engross yourself with the beauty of a novel culture. Discovering a new kind of cinema, a low-key, minimalistic aesthetic that will salvage you from the incessant bombarding of hyperdramatic cuts and cues in mainstream movies.
Obviously, the smaller screen is highly discouraged. If you really mean to learn how to properly enjoy it and to explore new unique delights, the one small sacrifice it’ll cost you, is to resist the temptation to check on your phone for the duration of the experience. It might be tough at first but the pay off is worthwhile. It’s just an habit to get used to. If you made this commitment, your mind is now free to wander and the stress induced by looking up the clock, waiting for messages is not bothering you any longer.
Make sure your surroundings are comfortable in every way. Set up your own home mise-en-scène. Dimming the lights helps to focus your sight on the screen and make disappear the daily distractions around you. Fitting your headphones onto your ears might be a must, to fully immerse yourself into its quiet soundscape and muted atmosphere. Otherwise, a peaceful environment will do, if watching the film in theatre is not an option…
Then you need a good dose of patience, as the film will unfold at its own unhurried pace but will take you along a wonderous journey. Remember the journey counts for more than the eventual destination. These films generally eshew any dramatic denouement or surprising twist, they end abruptly in the same fashion they started. No beginning, no ending, just a memorable itinerary in the middle. Don’t be disorientated by the absence of narrative structure.
Don’t be afraid by an unattainable level of concentration… This cinema will evoke thoughts and feelings particular to each individual watching it. There is no right way to decypher, no wrong way to understand. What you will bring out of the film is whatever you brought in yourself in the first place, from within, from your past, from your culture. A contemplative film is not sententious nor grandiloquent, it is the simplest form of cinema. Simple doesn’t mean empty but rather straightforward, transparent, and overall unpretentious.
Trying to enumerate any and all plot points, to tabulate the potential clues, to alphabetize the elements on screen, to chart the repetitions, to taxonomize the mannerisms… is a waste of time. What is important is not evident to the eyes. An apparent vacuity conceals hidden mysteries unveiling themselves in your mind long after you registered it, perhaps once the scene is over, perhaps beyond the film ending, perhaps only after subsequent viewings.
You are free to let your mind meander and let your eyes gaze at any part of the screen, because each shot is an informal tableau and you have plenty of time to explore it. Don’t fell guilty if your thoughts drift off and recall some personal memories, contemplation is a device meant to help you let go and watch images and ideas pass by like a river that will not carry you around with them. You embark on an immobile boat on a still river, and the landscape, the air, the sky will bathe you in an experiential state of mind that will resonate with you forever.
Once you’ve made room for the « event » you’re ready to spend one mindful date with an auteur, inside their world of contemplation.
How should I approach watching a contemplative film?
For this, you may need to invest in a moment, peaceful and whole, uninterrupted by distractions, in order to dedicate your full attention to the immersive universe created by the film. So set the mood right…
With an open-minded attitude your rewarding experience of the film comes a long way. Check prejudices and preconceptions at the door, embrace freely the exercice with tolerance and fairness, to give yourself the chance to sympathize respectfully with what might be a tough nut to crack. It’s all a matter of being in the right mindset to let yourself engage properly with the dreamscape reality of Contemplative Cinema.
Demanding art cinema is not like eating your vegetables as a kid… it means fighting off your boredom as a grown up and engross yourself with the beauty of a novel culture. Discovering a new kind of cinema, a low-key, minimalistic aesthetic that will salvage you from the incessant bombarding of hyperdramatic cuts and cues in mainstream movies.
Obviously, the smaller screen is highly discouraged. If you really mean to learn how to properly enjoy it and to explore new unique delights, the one small sacrifice it’ll cost you, is to resist the temptation to check on your phone for the duration of the experience. It might be tough at first but the pay off is worthwhile. It’s just an habit to get used to. If you made this commitment, your mind is now free to wander and the stress induced by looking up the clock, waiting for messages is not bothering you any longer.
Make sure your surroundings are comfortable in every way. Set up your own home mise-en-scène. Dimming the lights helps to focus your sight on the screen and make disappear the daily distractions around you. Fitting your headphones onto your ears might be a must, to fully immerse yourself into its quiet soundscape and muted atmosphere. Otherwise, a peaceful environment will do, if watching the film in theatre is not an option…
Then you need a good dose of patience, as the film will unfold at its own unhurried pace but will take you along a wonderous journey. Remember the journey counts for more than the eventual destination. These films generally eshew any dramatic denouement or surprising twist, they end abruptly in the same fashion they started. No beginning, no ending, just a memorable itinerary in the middle. Don’t be disorientated by the absence of narrative structure.
Don’t be afraid by an unattainable level of concentration… This cinema will evoke thoughts and feelings particular to each individual watching it. There is no right way to decypher, no wrong way to understand. What you will bring out of the film is whatever you brought in yourself in the first place, from within, from your past, from your culture. A contemplative film is not sententious nor grandiloquent, it is the simplest form of cinema. Simple doesn’t mean empty but rather straightforward, transparent, and overall unpretentious.
Trying to enumerate any and all plot points, to tabulate the potential clues, to alphabetize the elements on screen, to chart the repetitions, to taxonomize the mannerisms… is a waste of time. What is important is not evident to the eyes. An apparent vacuity conceals hidden mysteries unveiling themselves in your mind long after you registered it, perhaps once the scene is over, perhaps beyond the film ending, perhaps only after subsequent viewings.
You are free to let your mind meander and let your eyes gaze at any part of the screen, because each shot is an informal tableau and you have plenty of time to explore it. Don’t fell guilty if your thoughts drift off and recall some personal memories, contemplation is a device meant to help you let go and watch images and ideas pass by like a river that will not carry you around with them. You embark on an immobile boat on a still river, and the landscape, the air, the sky will bathe you in an experiential state of mind that will resonate with you forever.
Once you’ve made room for the « event » you’re ready to spend one mindful date with an auteur, inside their world of contemplation.
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