Watch: Patrick Willems’ Video Essay About ‘Tenet’ and ‘Vibe Movies’

Watch: Patrick Willems’ Video Essay About ‘Tenet’ and ‘Vibe Movies’

by Alex Billington
April 28, 2023
Source: YouTube

“Don’t try to understand it. Feel it.” This quote from Nolan’s Tenet will be remembered forever and ever. It’s a good line, but it’s also rather hokey, despite working well in the plot and as a guide for the audience to experience it anyway. It’s a vibes movie, and we’re starting to see more and more of these kind of movies recently. Perhaps because social media has made people obsessed with aesthetic over plot, perhaps because streaming content works better this way, perhaps because society has become considerably anti-intellectual recently (who knows??). In Patrick Willems’ latest video essay, he breaks down and digs into this concept of “vibe movies” – where the feel of it matters more than the story. Miami Vice is another one of his big references, and directors like Malick and Kieślowski. Whether you agree or not, it’s a fascinating discussion.

Thanks to Twitter for the tip on this one. Patrick’s very brief intro from YouTube: “Tenet, Miami Vice, and why these movies rule and their incomprehensible plots don’t matter.” TENET And A Celebration Of Vibes Movies is a video essay created and edited by Patrick Willems – you can watch more of his videos on his famous YouTube channel or subscribe to his Patreon or follow him on Twitter @patrickhwillems or also on Instagram @patrickhwillems. We also featured his video series “The Uncanny X-Men” years ago, about what if X-Men was directed by Wes Anderson; and his video on De Palma’s ‘Most Difficult Shot in Movie History’. This new essay was co-edited by Ryan Alva, and research by Raven Thigpen, with many other co-writers. For more info, visit YouTube. To view more video essays, click here. So what do you think about “vibe movies”?

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