You Should Watch "Slow Burn" Movies: A Beginners Guide

Have you ever heard of a "slow burn" movie? Though the term isn’t very well-known, many beloved film directors have started to shift to this format. "Slow burn" movies are a filmmaking style in which the plot and story is built much slower and gradually, allowing for more cinematic analysis. It also shifts the climax to the end of the movie instead of the middle, which allows the movie to reach a greater final impact. If you love movies that make you think and reach emotional impact, you will love slow burns. Some popular examples of slow burn movies are Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity and Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar.

In an age full of superhero movies and adrenaline junkies, slow burn movies are a great shift to help viewers feel more connected to movies at large. In my opinion, once you get to know these movies its hard to go back to more stressful movies. Action movies are fun, but sometimes it can be nice just to unwind. Science says that low stress movies can even help your mental health! These movies are the way to do just that.

My goal for this website is to give some examples of very underrated slow burns. Most of these movies had very limited releases (only on streaming services, film festivals, etc.) and aren't very well known. I've done my best to pick movies with varying perspectives, so you don't feel you are watching the same type of movie every night. On top of that, I made sure that my reviews are all spolier-free as possible. Above are some great movies to get started in the "slow burn" genre. If you are as sold as I am, check out our list of honorable mentions to get started!