Unspoken Cinema

"Le slow cinema est un terme de plus en plus utilisé pour définir un courant, ou une « famille » de films (Botz-Bornstein, 2015 : 2), qui, selon Ira Jaffe, « réduisent le plus possible à la fois le mouvement, l’action, les dialogues et les artifices » (Jaffe, 2014 : 9). Dans son ouvrage consacré à ce courant, Jaffe tente de définir le dénominateur commun que peuvent avoir les slow movies en analysant à la fois leur style visuel, leur structure narrative, leurs thématiques, ou leur montage. S’il est difficile de définir de manière définitive, objective et précise, ces films, on pourrait néanmoins avancer que ceux-ci semblent généralement relever du type d’image défini par Deleuze comme étant celui de l’image-temps, celui du cinéma de la modernité, où « ce qui a remplacé l'action ou la situation sensori-motrice, c'est la promenade, la balade et l'aller-retour continuel » (Deleuze, 1983 : 280). Ce courant trouverait alors ses origines, comme l’avance Jaffe, dès les années...

"What some people call slow cinema now really isn’t slow. Some films are neither minimalist in style or narrative elements nor are they observational; it’s just that they are building the world before they get to the plot. [..] So when a film doesn’t immediately tell us what the goal is, what the protagonist is meant to achieve, we feel lost in terms of time. And that’s when a film starts to feel slow for some audience members. [..] We should be reading books and watching theater and movies to enrich us and show us things we never thought about before—or even experience emotions we would never normally feel in our regular day-to-day lives. We should be able to immerse ourselves in a different perspective so that we can grow as people. That’s the power and beauty of art. And it should be slow so that we can savor it and really think about it."  Wanggo Gallaga ; Is ‘slow cinema’ the biggest enemy of cinema today? ; 20 Aug 2026

  Abbas Kiarostami: the Art of Living (2003) (YouTube) 58'41' (Fergus Daly) 8 nov 2023 Essay by Fergus Daly on Kiarostami here  : "The Mirror of Possible Worlds" (1998, Film West 32 ) Companion piece : The Mirror of Possible Worlds: Kiarostami on Aran (YouTube) 24'05" (Fergus Daly) 31 march 2026 "20 years on, an experimental reimagining of Abbas Kiarostami’s experience of the Aran Islands when he travelled there in July 2001 following in the footsteps of Robert Flaherty and his 1934 film Man of Aran. Part film essay, part fictional reverie, The Mirror of Possible Worlds explores the effect of Place on creative thinking and the situation of the exiled artist in his encounter with a dispossessed land. As Nicole Brenez has written of the film: "The supremely minimalist and elegant « Mirror of Possible Worlds » achieves one of the deepest meditations about the image in contemporary cinema, rising winds of ideas blowing directly from the barren plains ...

Latest article addition to the Library page at Unspoken Cinema: 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 repr...

"Slow cinema is not merely a stylistic choice — it is a philosophical stance toward time, perception, and the invisible rhythms of human experience. To understand its aesthetic depth, one must explore the broader cultural currents that shaped it: from the alienation of modern relationships to the poetry of consciousness itself." Silvana Porreca; Slow and contemplative cinema: the aesthetic of slow cinema ; in IndieCinema

"Le grand cinéaste hongrois est mort au début de cette année. Hommage un artiste à un autre, par l'intermédiaire d'un troisième. Peinture, cinéma, écriture. Et toujours le temps." Christophe Bisson ; Béla Tarr : Le retrait du monde filmique (sur Burdstack ; article pour abonnés payants) 2 août 2026

Au commencement il y a la ferme du Garet "La Vie moderne (2008), troisième volet de ce que l’on peut considérer comme la « trilogie paysanne » de Raymond Depardon, a été précédé d’un diptyque intitulé Profils paysans et décliné en deux chapitres : Chapitre 1 : L’Approche (2000) et Chapitre 2 : Le Quotidien (2004). Produits pour la télévision avant de toutefois sortir en salles, ces derniers sont considérés par le cinéaste lui-même comme des « tours de chauffe » débouchant sur un troisième opus d’emblée conçu comme un film de cinéma au budget supérieur, au format 35 mm et en cinémascope, quand les deux Profils ont été tournés en 16 mm. Cette trilogie, d’une certaine manière « bancale » (avec deux films produits pour la télévision et un pour le cinéma), est donc le fruit d’un travail au long cours. À considérer les temps de préparation et de tournage du premier des trois films, il s’étale sur une bonne dizaine d’années et vise à montrer l’état du monde paysan en moyenne montagne dan...

Gaston Bachelard, L'intuition de l'instant. (YouTube) 14'41" (Jtgrandtour) 19 mai 2018

Latest addition to the Library page at Unspoken Cinema: "If we need to ascribe it a meaning, it might just be the following. It’s a story I heard Tarr tell in 2011, in Wrocław. I’ve quoted it before, but if you can’t repeat yourself when talking about Tarr, the great master of essence through attrition, then maybe we didn’t absorb anything from him: “A man wakes up at 4:00 AM, dresses, goes out into the darkness to the location of shooting at 6:00 AM. It’s dark, fucking cold, the wind is blowing. It’s raining, and an actor appears, with a hangover too, and with one thousand problems. An actress comes. Her baby was crying all night. A production manager appears. And says what was said at the meteorological institute, the weather forecast. And a man is standing there waiting for the light to go slightly up so one button can be pressed so the scene can be recorded. And if I did not believe you were all going to see it then for what fucking reason would I be doing all this? I am not ...

Latest addition to the Library page at Unspoken Cinema: "This article reinterprets Paweł Pawlikowski’s Ida (2013) as a form of mediated religious communication rooted in the theological and cultural tradition of medieval realism. Drawing on the ideas of Aquinas, Anselm, and Pseudo-Dionysius, it suggests that the film embodies a contemplative mode where truth, goodness, and beauty are regarded as ontological realities rather than subjective ideas. Through silence, stillness, vertical framing, and temporal restraint, Ida conveys a Catholic cultural imaginary that operates beneath explicit doctrine, influencing perception, memory, and moral values. Its formal austerity echoes apophatic theology and monastic practices such as lectio divina, serving as a non-discursive form of Catholic values. By embedding Holocaust trauma within spaces of ritual silence and architectural simplicity, Ida presents memory not as a narrative endpoint but as a mediated act of endurance. The film depicts c...

Latest addition to the Library page at Unspoken Cinema: "Society typically dictates the duration and manner in which we attend to objects, people, or events. In other words, the length and type of our attention are regulated by unwritten rules of behavior, forming a part of the social order. When someone focuses on something longer than usual, particularly something socially or aesthetically marginalized, it can challenge established social orders. When attention is prolonged beyond customary social norms, the usual controls over how we observe and perceive can be temporarily suspended, disrupting habitual modes of perception. Slow cinema filmmakers slow down the rhythm of the film and extend shots to encourage this sustained attention. Through slowness, they not only slow the narrative but also challenge social norms and how we typically engage with what we see." Amiri, Sepideh;  Marvā Nabīlī’s The Sealed Soil as Slow Cinema . In Cinema Iranica . Encyclopaedia Iranica Foun...

"[..] Bi Gan ne sédimente rien. Sa mémoire est topologique, non géologique. Pas de couches qui s’empilent, mais une surface unique qui se retourne sur elle-même, comme un ruban de Möbius : on croit avancer sur l’envers du temps et l’on se retrouve, sans avoir traversé de bord, sur son endroit. C’est pour cela qu’il n’y a jamais de changement de grain chez Bi Gan, jamais de texture qui daterait une strate plutôt qu’une autre. L’Histoire ne se dépose pas au fond de l’image, elle hante l’espace tout entier. Dangmai est une zone de contamination temporelle, où passé, présent et futur circulent sur la même bande, sans jamais se croiser en un point qu’on pourrait localiser. [..]" Christophe Bisson; « Kaili Blues » : Les plis du temps ; 7 juillet 2026 ; chez Burdstack

New addition to the Library page at Unspoken Cinema: "Responding to the accelerating technological landscape and contemporary life, this paper researches how the concept of ‘time’ plays a significant role. The author, an experimental filmmaker, charts an experiential journey within several pivotal ‘dream films’, along with relevant artists’ moving images in relation to time and slowness in the moving image as critical media.  As contemporary life has become more and more fast paced, and one year on the impact of COVID-19 is still being felt, the idea of stillness is beginning to become a more desirable commodity. The author explores ‘slow cinema’, acknowledging seminal directors Andrei Tarkovsky and Claire Denis, as well as art films which frequently emphasise long takes, offering minimalist aesthetics with little or no narrative. In an endeavour to portray different  temporalities and reveal and allude to the invisibility of time, the author relates to Julia Kristeva’s notio...

 New addition to the Library page at Unspoken Cinema: "This thesis explores Slow Cinema as a form of quiet resistance to contemporary cultures of acceleration through carefully designed mise-en-scène and sustained duration. As life is increasingly shaped by speed and efficiency, cinema has mirrored these changes implementing rapid editing and spectacle. Drawing primarily on Byung-Chul Han’s (2015) exploration of “burnout” provides a framework for understanding these changes.  By situating this thesis within this cultural context, the research considers how slow cinema disrupts linear time and space and offers an alternative affective experience that encourages contemplation, relaxation and stillness as a response to the exhausting, pressurised current cultural condition.   Through a visual analysis of Goodbye, Dragon Inn (2003) directed by Tsai Ming-liang, this thesis examines how production design creates interstitial spaces that function as temporal containers, al...

Latest addition to the Library page at Unspoken Cinema: "This article examines how Abbas Kiarostami’s The Wind Will Carry Us (1999) creates sacred experience through systematic absence within contemporary slow cinema aesthetics. While previous scholarship has focused on religious content in spiritual cinema, this analysis demonstrates how formal techniques—particularly strategic concealment and extended duration—generate contemplative states without explicit religious references. Drawing on Paul Schrader’s transcendental style theory and recent slow cinema scholarship, the article traces how Kiarostami adapts Persian poetic traditions, particularly concepts of pardeh (veiling) and the interplay between bāṭin (hidden) and ẓāhir (manifest), to create meaning through what remains unseen. The dying woman who never appears, the acousmatic voices of invisible characters, and the village spaces kept off-screen transform absence from lack into generative force. Through comparative analys...

Latest addition to the Library page at Unspoken Cinema: Abstract: "Minimalism has been seen as a movement in cinema based on simplification in terms of aesthetics and narrative. Minimalism in cinema is generally defined by diluted narrative elements, limited dialogues, long-shot sequences, and natural setting elements. Indeed, Yasujiro Ozu's minimalist approach in Japanese cinema has developed an aesthetic based on Zen philosophy, unlike Western art. Robert Bresson, on the other hand, has deepened the narrative by using non-visual elements and off-screen areas with metonymic minimalism. This study analyzes the use of Kovács's “analytical minimalism” theory adapted to the relevant film level, based on Michelangelo Frammartino's film Il Buco (2021) as the research object. Il Buco is constructed with long shots, slow camera movements, and natural sound design, while addressing the existential images of an old peasant in Calabria who continues his life with the cycle of...

"New Turkish Cinema embraces minimalist audio-visual elements, with long takes, contemplative narratives, and a mediated film experience that invites slow engagement and introspection. Through a focused comparison of Nuri Bilge Ceylan and Zeki Demirkubuz, two of the most influential and internationally recognized figures in this movement, this article examines how their distinct directorial styles articulate the aesthetics of slowness. Both emerged in the 1990s as central figures in the post-Yeşilçam cinematic landscape, yet their approaches differ markedly. Ceylan’s films employ rural landscapes, subdued rhythms, and interior stillness, while Demirkubuz crafts existential narratives in confined urban settings through stark realism and elliptical storytelling. Despite their stylistic differences, both directors adopt techniques associated with global slow cinema. This article argues that slowness in New Turkish Cinema functions not merely as a matter of pacing, but as a cinematic ...

  8th Street Film | Abdul Rahman | Missed Movies (YouTube) 1h00'29" (Missed Movies New Wave) 12 Apr 2026 Tamil, English subtitles. "Late at night, a stranger, an old man, and a waiter cross paths. Through quiet moments and subtle exchanges, their encounter reveals loneliness, memory, and a quiet search for meaning." Written, Directed & Edited by Abdul Rahman Loosely based on the short story by E. Hemingway : " A Clean, Well Lighted Place " (1933) [ PDF ] Read also at Unspoken Cinema: Interview with Abdul Rahman (8th Street) My review of Abdul Rahman's 8th Street I Reject The Invitation From God (Abdul Rahman) Film review All About Contemplation Cinema (Missed Movies New Wave) TAMIL

  All About Contemplation Cinema (YouTube) 6'12" (Missed Movies New Wave) 3 May 2026 "Contemplation Cinema is a curated screening initiative exploring slow, transcendental, reflective, and poetic films. It creates an intimate space for audiences to experience cinema beyond narrative focusing on stillness, time, and observation." Contemplation Cinema page  (Instagram) Read also at Unspoken Cinema: Interview with Abdul Rahman (8th Street) My review of Abdul Rahman's 8th Street I Reject The Invitation From God (Abdul Rahman) Film review

  New addition to the Library page at Unspoken Cinema: "This article examines silence and stillness as central aesthetic strategies in contemporary slow cinema, exploring their capacity to evoke contemplation, resist narrative acceleration, and offer alternative temporal experiences in an era of media saturation. Drawing on Paul Schrader’s theory of transcendental style, with its progression from everyday realism to decisive stasis (2018), Ira Jaffe’s conceptualization of slow movies as an existential counter to the spectacle-driven “cinema of action” through curtailed motion and spatiotemporal vacancy (2014), and Tiago de Luca and Nuno Barradas Jorge’s plural, global framing of slow cinema’s challenge to instrumentalized time (2016), the study employs a transcultural comparative approach. Through the interpretive lens of Emersonian Transcendentalism, American filmmakers Terrence Malick, Paul Schrader, and Kelly Reichardt deploy silence as a site of individual spiritual trial, et...