cinemasuch

Cinemasuch is a term used in film studies to describe a mode of cinema that foregrounds everyday realism, ambiguity, and the material textures of filmmaking, often blending documentary methods with experimental narrative. The word is a neologism formed from cinema and such, signaling a focus on suchness or the concrete qualities of experience rather than conventional storytelling. The term is primarily used in critical discourse and has no single formal definition.

Its typical features include on-location shooting with natural light, non-professional performers, long takes, minimal or non-existent intertitles, sparse plot cues, and a heightened attention to sound design and ambient atmosphere. Cinemasuch works may resist genre conventions and avoid clear moral or political statements, instead inviting viewers to infer meaning from texture, repetition, and daily routines.

Origins and reception: The term emerged in early 21st-century online criticism as a way to describe a cluster of films at the margins of mainstream cinema that blend documentary realism with fiction. Some critics praise cinemasuch for renewing attention to film as a material medium and as a record of lived experience; others argue that the label is broad or vague and risks conflating disparate practices.

Notable practitioners and works: There is no fixed roster, but critics often discuss filmmakers who work with docu-fiction and long-form observation when considering cinemasuch. While not universally defined as cinemasuch, their work is frequently cited in discussions of the approach.

Relation to other movements: Cinemasuch is often discussed alongside slow cinema, new documentary practice, and docufiction. It distinguishes itself by its explicit emphasis on the tactile, unglamourized aspects of daily life and a reluctance to resolve narrative tension through conventional plot structures.