Why Are We Going So Fast?
Defending slice-of-life movies
Illustration: Harvey Doniego
What makes a good movie? Is it an action-packed plot, or an intriguing character study? Our taste in movies is subjective, obviously. Something that I’ve noticed in myself is my tendency to lean towards slower-paced movies. When my friends and I are deciding what to watch, I usually keep my recommendations to myself. If I’m asked directly, I will most likely preface my suggestion by warning my friend that they might consider my choice “boring.” I often struggle to describe my favourite movies to people because they never really seem to have any plot.
The “slice-of-life” film genre, characterized by its depiction of everyday situations and people, is often criticized for its apparent lack of direction or excitement. In theory, these criticisms make sense. Why would someone want to watch a movie that is nothing more than a reflection of their everyday life? Many people watch movies to experience an escape from reality. However, I feel differently. Some of my favourite movies are slice-of-life films. There is something so beautiful about witnessing the mundanity of life through a new lens. Having our everyday experiences creatively represented on a film screen is immensely validating and relatable. This is a quality that I feel is unique to the genre.
One of the first slice-of-life films that I remember enjoying is Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird. This movie focuses on its titular character, Lady Bird, a high school senior who navigates university applications, relationships, and friendships. I enjoyed this movie the first time I watched it, but it never really clicked with me until my third or fourth rewatch. Watching this movie the summer after I finished high school- at the same stage in life as Lady Bird- felt like a new experience altogether. Suddenly, the supposedly minor troubles faced by Lady Bird (debating whether or not to choose a university close or far from home, for example) had far more of an impact on my viewing. The main character’s hardships and experiences were now closely linked with my own. Watching Lady Bird struggle with her conflicting feelings towards her hometown, and with leaving her family to go to university, was cathartic for me. Although I was able to express these feelings with my peers in my everyday life, it was satisfying to witness the film’s thoughtful and accurate portrayal of common adolescent experiences. Slice-of-life movies can provide solace and guidance in times of transformation. At times, it almost felt like the film was made for me.
I have also loved slice-of-life films that don’t directly correlate with my life. Because this genre provides an intimate, immersive look at its characters’ stories, viewers are able to
better understand and empathize with experiences that differ from their own. One of my all-time favourite movies, Moonlight, follows the story of Chiron, a Black gay child growing up in Miami, Florida. Although the main character’s circumstances do not relate to my own, this movie will always remain one of my favourites. Moonlight’s beautiful portrayal of what coming-of-age can look like for people of marginalized positionalities affirms the power of slice-of-life movies in representing and validating our lived experiences.
In addition to this genre’s ability in portraying supposedly mundane, yet relatable and impactful stories, something else that I admire about slice-of-life films is their tendency to romanticize spaces that are typically overlooked. In my life, I have always favoured bigger, metropolitan locations and wished for seemingly larger-than-life experiences. I’ve sometimes struggled with disdain for my hometown or for Kingston, which I tend to think is too small and uneventful. When watching a slice-of-life movie, however, I second guess my judgements. Since these films focus on everyday experiences, their depiction of mundane spaces are often celebratory. In Lady Bird, Lady Bird grows to love her hometown of Sacramento, California, although she previously rejected its ordinariness. This learned appreciation, which she gained after moving away for university, is something that I, and surely several others, can strongly relate to. A newer favourite movie of mine, American Honey, follows its main character, Star, as she travels through the Midwestern United States with a magazine crew. In mainstream understandings, the Midwest remains largely unrecognized and is sometimes only associated with small towns and barren locations. However, in American Honey, this region is depicted as a dreamy landscape characterized by its freedom. In contributing new aesthetic perspectives, slice-of-life movies can encourage us to reimagine our own lives and our own relationships with the spaces that we inhabit.
The immersive, humanistic nature of slice-of-life movies provokes emotions in me that I never experience when watching movies of other genres. When one of these films represents my own experiences, I feel validated and moved by its ability to perfectly encapsulate what I have been feeling. Even if a film does not relate to me, I enjoy the opportunity to be immersed in a storyline that introduces perspectives different from my own. I am often equally moved. This genre’s capability in creatively reimagining the mundane circumstances of our everyday lives never fails to impress and inspire me. When I’m watching a fast-paced movie with my friends, I often think to myself, “why are we going so fast?” I always look forward to watching movies on my own, where I can explore whatever movies my heart desires- no matter how slow.