ABSTRACT
Art cinema has been described as “a diffuse, heterogeneous label that applies to many historical periods and types of filmmaking”, a “mongrel” defined by “impurity”, and “capacious enough and flexible enough” to tolerate different styles and audiences. Genres generally work with consistent themes—gangster films are normally about the price of criminal success, screwball comedies feature odd couples and romance movies feature star-crossed lovers. Art cinema sits within the realm of psychological or social drama, but it does draw from genre conventions on occasion. Parametric narration is less historically located than historical-materialist films, and appeals instead to “isolated filmmakers and fugitive films”. Since some art films are quite laconic and economical in expression, Bordwell comments that patience is often required.
