The formation of the concept of "slow cinema" (Teterkina)

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Abstract: "The subject of the research is the critical reflection of the 2000s regarding the concept of "slow cinema." The aim of the work is to reconstruct the initial premises that subsequently laid the foundation for academic interpretative models of "slow cinema." In the absence of comprehensive knowledge about this cinematic phenomenon, it seems necessary to reconstruct the genealogy of its formation at an early stage. The analysis of disparate texts within the discursive field allows for tracing the origins of the concept of "slow cinema," the process of its transformation, and its subsequent institutionalization. Special attention is paid to identifying the object-forming positions within the logic of early critical texts dedicated to the phenomenon of "slow cinema." This approach allows for the dis-embedding of propositions at the prenominative level, where initial representations of this phenomenon are formed. The historical approach facilitates an analysis of the content of the concept based on the premises of early discourse. The main method is dis-embedding, which allows for the deconstruction of the logic of conceptual reflection, revealing its internal structure. For the first time, the early critical discourse regarding "slow cinema" is examined as an independent stage in the formation of the content of this concept. Despite its stable usage in contemporary film studies, the process of forming its content in early critical discourse remains not fully reflected. In this context, the texts of M. Simontov, J. Romney, M. Flanagan, as well as materials from the blog "Unspoken Cinema" (S. Shaviro, G. Tuttle, N. James), laid the foundational statements for describing this phenomenon, later developed within conditionally disciplinary film studies that formulate their own interpretative models. As a result of the research, it is established that the early critical discourse formed a number of stable characteristics for describing "slow cinema," including the duration of shots, narrative reduction, contemplative modes of perception, and opposition to mainstream cinema within the binary opposition of "fast" / "slow." It is concluded that even at an early stage of conceptualizing the phenomenon of "slow cinema," a number of individual interpretative constructs emerge, proposed for describing films that share similar formal characteristics, in the absence of a clearly articulated program for the movement and self-identification of filmmakers as "slow." The early critical discourse acts as a medium for the formation of initial characteristics of this phenomenon as a result of the interpretation of cinematic works and the presumed viewer experience."

Teterkina Anastasiya Sergeevna; 25 June 2026; The formation of the concept of "slow cinema" in early critical discourse