By: Keaton Marcus

DEFINING “VIBING WITH FILM”:

There isn’t a clear definition for this distinctive feeling at least in the case of cinema, so I am going to try my best to describe it personally. I would say that this word would apply to films that don’t necessarily require you to focus on characters, a three-act structure, or true substance in general. The feels, music, and cinematography principally take over in one big audiovisual splash. It’s an entire unofficial genre of cinema to be completely honest, and the sensation is barely describable in a lucid sense, so you resort to the word “vibes” to justify the passionate response to whatever film you were watching. This commonly gets paired with the criticism “nothing happens”, which is likely to be thrown at these types of movies where the visuals are the most prominent part. I, however, do not view this as a flaw for the majority of these, and sitting back, relaxing, and enjoying a delightfully psychedelic experience is no way wrong while viewing something.

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT:

Why is it that I am taking the time to write this all? How is it important? Well, at least in my highly subjective opinion, this is probably the most modern way of reflecting on original cinema. In a film class that I am taking this year, I was introduced to two incredibly essential classics made almost a century ago. Fritz Lang’s Metropolis and Dziga Vertov’s Man with a Movie Camera are both very different, but they celebrate one key aspect in the history of cinema, and that is visuals. One filled with hyperrealist cinematography, disturbing effects, and exaggerated facial expressions, and another with rapid editing and camera work documenting 24 hours in Russia. I for one was far less entranced by the storytelling in these two artifacts in cinema compared to the eye-popping feeling of it all. Plenty of the examples I will showcase next are gorgeous homages to a time long ago before dialogue, and perhaps even musical scores. Whether it’s Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life, Tray Edward Schultz’s Waves, Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight, and even Greta Gerwig’s Little Women, these are primary examples of vibes over narrative.

EXAMPLES - PART 1

Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird
Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous
Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life
Doug Liman’s Swingers
Terrence Malick’s Days of Heaven
Kelly Reichardt’s Wendy & Lucy
Lee Isaac Chung’s Minari
Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland
Wong Kar-Wai’s In the Mood for Love
Lars von Trier’s Melancholia

EXAMPLES - PART 2

Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight
Hayao Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro
Greta Gerwig’s Little Women
Sean Baker’s The Florida Project
Trey Edward Schultz’s Waves
Richard Linklater’s The Before Trilogy
Michael Dudok de Wit’s The Red Turtle
Jared Hess’ Napoleon Dynamite
Krystof Kiewlosky’s Three Colors Trilogy
Spike Jonze’s Her

EXAMPLES - PART 3

Jeanne-Pierre Jeunet’s Amelie
Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive
Pawel Pawlikowski’s Cold War
Celine Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Agnes Varda’s Cleo from 5 to 7
Charlie Kaufman’s Anamolisa
David Lowery’s A Ghost Story
Mike Mills’ 20th Century Women
Joe + Ethan Coen’s Inside Llewyn Davis
Nicolas Winding Refn’s Only God Forgives

WHAT ARE THE DISTINCTIONS:

The major question a reader could be asking is about the distinction between one of these and a fully plot-driven movie. I would describe it as filmmaking where you don’t need immense dialogues (for the most part) or hard-hitting plot twists to make an emotional connection with the audience. Prime examples of this would be the universe creation sequence in The Tree of Life, the visual motifs in Moonlight and Waves, or perhaps the non-linear structure of Little Women. These are films in which characters make random interactions, romantic or non-romantic connections, and overall just celebrate the beauty of life without the qualifications for a substance-filled film. Agnes Varda’s Cleo from 5 to 7 is basically only about a woman waiting to hear about her medical condition as she goes through incredible anxiety throughout the day, making connections that gradually help her along the way. Inside Llewyn Davis is a powerful, intense, and raw look at a struggling musician just traveling, meeting up with different people, and dealing with his self-indulgent loneliness. That’s literally it. Is that a negative in any way, shape, or form? Not even remotely, and I always adore when you can kick back and let the visual environment envelope and absorb you instead of the plotting. It’s relaxing, trippy, and occasionally hypnotizing in a sense. Overall, isn’t that why we watch movies?

MY TOP TEN:

Drive
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Moonlight
The Tree of Life
Melancholia
Her
Waves
Inside Llewyn Davis
Minari
In the Mood for Love