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Transcendental style in film! What is it? Can it actually use the mechanics of film grammar to give the viewer the feeling of the transcendent? And most importantly, what is it?

Luckily Dustin Sells (GoodTrash GenreCast!) is here to take our hands and explain it to us like we're five!

We delve into madman Paul Schrader's book on the subject, discuss intention, film techniques used to portray the transcendent, and look at three films that fall into this category in particular: Carl Dreyer's Ordet, Robert Bresson's A Man Escaped, and the contemporary Ida, written and directed by Paweł Pawlikowski.

We also talk about the beauty of mundanity, the importance of boredom, Yasujirō Ozu's use of space, why directors like Ingmar Bergman and Andrei Tarkovsky don't fall under the "transcendental style" umbrella despite having scenes of dudes lumbering around while fretting about God, and the different ways cinema can portray the transcendent. Also...David Lynch and M. Night Shyamalan?

Follow Dustin on Letterboxd and Instagram, stupid!

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