The Celebration of the Mundane

Speaking as a sheltered teenager who lives in the American suburbs, I consider myself to be an avid believer in romanticizing the mundanity of life.  When living in a place where conformity is celebrated and the circadian rhythm of life is to be maintained, one can't help but fall in love with the overwhelming bleakness of it all.  As a result of my overly optimistic approach towards boredom, I find myself heavily drawn towards productions where, as my friends would say, "nothing happens."  Yet, I believe that this is an oversimplification of the deeply complex and truly beautiful genre of film that is slice-of-life.

Slice-of-life is a genre that is defined as a "naturalistic representation of life," typically marked by the overwhelming lack of plot development and conflict.  Instead, movies that fall under this genre tend to be slow-paced and portray life simply as it is.  They offer an intimate view of a character's reality, which often ends up being uncomfortable for many audiences.  As a result, most slice-of-life movies are independent films that draw in a niche audience.

Chungking Express (1994), dir. Wong Kar-Wai

Ironically, this also makes these films very hard to market.  To a vast majority of consumers, slice-of-life   is too boring or too slow to keep their interest.   Instead,  this genre tends to be popular among either film critics, or, for lack of a better word, more pretentious movie-goers. 

    For example, Lady Bird (2017) received a rating of 74% among IMDb users, despite being praised by critics (earning a 94% on Metacritic).  

Moonlight (2016), dir. Barry Jenkins

However, this isn't to say that film critics are the only ones who enjoy this genre.  Take, for example, Moonlight: an independently distributed film that tells the story of a gay black man.  Despite opening in only 4 theatres, it earned nearly $415,000 on its opening weekend and later went on to win Best Picture.  The film, which follows protagonist Chiron as he grows up in 1970s Miami, was described by Awards Circuit editor Clayton Davis as a "character study with no real resolution."  Of course, this made the film very hard to market, both because of the fact that many audiences were uneasy with the idea of a black gay couple, but also because of its mundane, textbook slice-of-life subject matter.  When it came time to promote this film, marketers had a very hard time discovering a target audience; a problem that (albeit) stemmed from a lack of understanding of black communities.  However, even during early screenings, Moonlight was faced with backlash from African-American viewers.  In the end, the film was advertised using its aesthetically pleasing color palette and composition, and was promoted namely through word of mouth.

Mid90s (2018), dir. Jonah Hill

This segues into something that I particularly like about slice-of-life, which is that it is so diverse and multifaceted; there is not just one set community that all of these movies represent.  Instead, movies like Call Me By Your Name (2017) and Waves (2019) are slice-of-life films that focus on historically underrepresented communities.  

Call Me By Your Name (2017), dir. Luca Guadagnino

This is because slice-of-life is a movie genre that very heavily relies on character development and exposition, something that is rare in comedies or action flicks.  As such, slice-of-life is intrinsically linked to the romance and coming-of-age genres, as they are all characterized by the exploration of oneself and relationships with others.

Let's talk about production techniques.  Something that tends to stay the same during the production of slice-of-life films is that they are almost always low budget, and almost always distributed independently.  For example, The Florida Project (2017) had a budget of $2 million, Moonlight had one of $4 million, Lady Bird was produced with $10 mil and 20th Century Women (2016) with 7.  This may seem like a lot of money, but it pales in comparison to the $250 million that was spent on No Time to Die (2021), or the $356 million that went into Avengers: Endgame (2019).  

20th Century Women (2016), dir. Mike Mills

To elaborate on my second claim, most of the films under this genre come from the same distributors: A24 is a monolith when it comes to slice-of-life.  In fact, all four films that I mentioned above were distributed by this company.  

A24 is an independent film distributor which allows for traditionally unconventional, more artistic movies to get a chance in the spotlight.  As Kishan Kumar says, "A24 places the quality of its films above all else, including whether or not the film makes any money in its theatrical runs."

Furthermore, slice-of-life films share similarities in production in that most are directed by men who are fairly new in the industry, and that most feature big-name actors.  For example, 50/50 (2011), dir. Jonathan Levine stars Joseph Gordon Levitt, Seth Rogan, Anna Kendrick, etc.  Lost in Translation (2003), dir. Sofia Coppola features Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson, and Manchester by the Sea (2016), dir. Kenneth Lonergan has Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams.

Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001), dir. Alfonso Cuaron

Although there is little information out there regarding the nature of these casting choices, I tend to believe that they're motivated by marketing.  As previously mentioned, demand for slice-of-life films isn't high.  They're unconventional, uncomfortable, and often boring.  Thus, marketing is a very difficult process, especially when one takes into account the various different audiences that each film speaks to.  Because of this, I believe that celebrity actors are cast into these roles in order to sell the movie to fans of that actor's previous work.

Evidently, this genre of film is very unique in the way that it is marketed.  Unlike action movies, who traditionally draw in males aged 13-28, or romcoms, which are geared towards 13-40-year-old women, slice-of-life movies are very diverse and almost impossible to generalize.  As such, the target audience fluctuates greatly.  Films like Lady Bird, which was targeted towards adolescent girls, did so by promoting the relatable and personable character of Christine.  To promote the film, editors created a trailer that highlighted cheery and comedic moments from the film and incorporated aesthetic visuals.  By doing so, the content appeals to teens who may identify with Lady Bird's style of life, or are at least drawn to it.

Lady Bird (2017), dir. Greta Gerwig

In contrast, a second trailer for the film dares to present it in a more dramatic lens, opening with a moment that shows Christine with her mother.  Since their relationship is an important part of the film, this trailer focuses on teenage rebellion and the dynamic between mother and daughter.  In turn, this draws in middle aged women who feel identified with the subject at hand.

Furthermore, much of the marketing for this film was done through social media.  This is unsurprising, both because it was geared towards teens, but also because of the current media-oriented world in which we live (Lady Bird Twitter page).  In our current era, we are seeing social media accounts be created for all sorts of media being released (TV shows, movies, books, etc.).

Some of my favorite films of all time fall under the genre of slice-of-life.  20th Century Women (2016) is a movie that follows the life of 15-year-old Jaime as he finds his place in life.  Set in 1979 California, Jaime is a socially awkward kid who lacks determination or drive.  His mom, Dorothea, struggles to raise him in accordance with his social anxiety and his lack of a father figure.  As a result, she enlists the help of several women in their lives to help lead him on a journey of self-exploration.  The film doesn't consist of much more than that, but the interpersonal relations between characters and the development of Jaime's character lead the film forward, resulting in a beautiful and heart-wrenching production.

Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001), dir. Alfonso Cuaron

Another movie that I believe perfectly encapsulates all aspects of slice-of-life is Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001), dir. Alfonso Cuaron.  This is a Mexican production made in the early 2000s, and it's heavily influenced by hedonistic views.  In the film, lifelong best friends Tenoch and Julio have left their girlfriends for the summer, and, seeking a thrill, decide to embark on a road trip with a gorgeous older woman named Luisa.  The film offers an intimate, sometimes disturbing view into the life of these two teenage boys as they find meaning and understanding of the world around them.  This is a deeply personal film that doesn't shy away from offering a realistic and cold depiction of existence, and I couldn't recommend it enough.

To me, slice-of-life is a film genre that deserves infinitely more recognition than it currently has.  I believe that no matter who you are, there's bound to be something in this genre that speaks to you on a profound level, and I urge you not to turn away from it- regardless of how "boring" you may find it at first glance.  At this, I leave you with one final message: go out there and celebrate the mundane.