In his article titled “The Art Cinema as a Mode of Film Practice,” David Bordwell describes art films as having a “certain drifting episodic quality.” Art films merely share this “drifting” feeling in common. On the other hand, Bordwell emphasizes that art films aren’t all the same. They are, though, stylistically speaking, quite similar in many ways. Firstly, conventional filmmaking utilizes goal-oriented characters. Characters are driven by a clear purpose and their actions have consequences. Take, for example, The Shawshank Redemption (Frank Darabont, 1994). In very simple terms, Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) believes he is wrongly convicted of murder and therefore plans and attempts to escape. It is a very straightforward narrative structure. Art films are not like this. Characters often commit unexplained actions that have zero consequence and are never mentioned for the rest of the film.

To that point, Bordwell also mentions the ambiguity found within Art Cinema. The author states that art films have several unexplained plot holes because “in life things happen this way.” Not every problem is solved in real life. Human beings don’t always solve every problem they have. People’s lives and problems are rarely wrapped up perfectly. Art films attempt to emulate that feeling of a realistic human experience, in which people sometimes leave problems unsolved and never give them a second thought. As a result, art films often have a dreamlike quality to them. The audience drifts from one situation to another often without any evident motive from the characters. The continuity between scenes is almost non-existent.

Having taken Italian 101 in my freshman year, I watched three Federico Fellini films: La Strada, 8 1/2, and Nights of Cabiria. I remember 8 1/2, specifically, because it was confusing and disorienting; but it was also beautiful. Everything felt spontaneous and random. The final scene made my head spin with the spectacle. It is an autobiography shown in the most jumbled, scattered way possible. I’m glad Bordwell put my confusion into words and that I am not the only one who found art cinema confusing.

In his article on art cinema, David Bordwell highlights their distinctive qualities.  One that caught my eye was the tendency to exhibit a drifting, episodic quality and their departure from the conventional narrative structure seen in mainstream, Hollywood cinema. Bordwell emphasizes that while art films share a drifting feeling, they are not the same in their approach. Instead, they are characterized by a shared style that often leads to the introduction of unexplained actions and unresolved plot holes, mirroring the unpredictability of real life. As a result, these films create a dreamlike atmosphere, where the audience is transported from one situation to another without a clear, linear progression. Through this emphasis on ambiguity and the portrayal of an unresolved human experience, art cinema continues to challenge traditional cinematic norms and offer a unique perspective on the complexities of human existence.