One of the most subtle yet impactful types of film is the "slice of life" film. A film where it simply follows the usually ordinary lives of ordinary people, but also showcases their struggles, desires, and needs. Watching people question what their purpose in life is or go through the motions of their everyday routine is refreshing. Being able to relate to the main character on a day-to-day scale is refreshing. It helps remind us that most people are not living an ultra-exciting, and that is okay.
Social media, and perhaps even other movies and TV shows, sometimes lead us to believe that life is always supposed to be exciting. While life can be full of exciting moments, the truth is that most days are not going to go that way. It's okay to have more regular, mundane days than thrilling, entertaining days. As long as you are happy with your life, that's what matters. Therefore, films that depict a more realistic way of life can often be the most relatable and effective. Here are the best slice-of-life films to watch.
10 The Assistant (2019)
Starring Emmy-winner Julia Garner, The Assistant is a scorching look into a day in the life of an assistant to a powerful movie studio executive. As the day goes on, she becomes increasingly aware of the toxic power imbalance and abuse going on around her that threatens her position there. Unfortunately, this awareness of abuse in the workplace, especially within the film industry, is commonplace for many women and just people in general. Many people struggle with the environment at their job and this movie reassures you that you are not the only one.
9 Nomadland (2020)
Chloé Zhao's Best Picture winner Nomadland is truly an excellent example of a slice-of-life film. Frances McDormand plays a woman in her sixties who embarks on a journey through the western United States after losing everything in the Great Recession. She travels around in a van, which is also her home, and gets to know a wide variety of people.
Something unique about this movie is that Chloé Zhao actually cast real-life nomads to be in the film and these are the people that Frances McDormand's character interacts with the most. It gives the film such an authentic, real-life feel because these are not actors playing a part, they are real people who actually live this way of life.
8 Blue Valentine (2010)
Derek Cianfrance's Blue Valentine follows the relationship of a married couple (Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling) and shows their evolution as a couple over the span of years by going back and forth between time periods. At its core, this is a story about how the lives of two people are inevitably intertwined, for better or worse. It's a story about love and loss, growth and regression, and happiness and suffering. It goes through so many human emotions, anyone could relate to these characters in some way.
7 Three Colors Blue (1993)
The first installment of Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski Three Colors trilogy, Three Colors: Blue follows a woman, Julia, struggling to go on with life after the death of her husband and child in a tragic car accident. She withdraws from her relationships, stays in her apartment, and tries to ignore the crushing pain.
Anyone who has gone through any type of loss knows that it isn't feasible to become a recluse no matter how tempting it is. Even when your life feels like it's crumbling, it still goes on for everyone else. It is up to the individual person to figure out a way to move past the grief, much like Julia.
6 In the Mood for Love (2000)
Most of Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai's films could be categorized as slice-of-life as they typically revolve around average people and their average lives. In the Mood for Love is a melancholy love story about two people who live in the same building in 1962 Hong Kong. A man and a woman find out that their wife and husband are having an affair with each other, and they too begin to fall in love. The attraction and desire between the man and woman are so subtle yet so obvious. Their relationship isn't about grand gestures, but it is somehow more romantic than most romantic movies.
5 The Farewell (2019)
Lulu Wang's The Farewell tells the story of a Chinese-American woman and her family who return to China when her grandmother is diagnosed with a terminal illness. They decide to keep her in the dark about the diagnosis, so they stage an impromptu wedding, so they can see their grandmother one more time. The close-knit family's decision to not let the grandmother spend her last few weeks in denial about her illness so that she can then enjoy the remainder of her life instead is a very thoughtful and human approach to something that we spend most of our lives trying to avoid.
4 Waves (2019)
Waves follow the lives of two teenage siblings, both very different, and their controlling father who is hell-bent on his children succeeding in high school. When the son experiences a career-ending sports injury and tragedy strikes again soon after, the family's dynamics are placed under damaging strain. The first half of the movie focuses solely on the son, while the second half of the movie focuses solely on the daughter. Splitting the narrative up this way really lets the viewer understand the differences in choices and actions between these two siblings, despite having the same overbearing father. The film is both devastating and beautiful.
3 Ghost World (2001)
Two quirky, cynical teenage girls (Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson) attempt to figure out what they should do with their lives after their high school graduation in Ghost World. After they play a prank on a middle-aged record collector, one of the girls befriends him. This causes stress on their friendship as one girl is moving on with her life, and the other is fixated on this man who is more than twice her age.
While every teenager does not become infatuated with an older man or find a job and apartment immediately after graduating from high school, every teenager has at some point struggled with what to do after they are done with school. It's difficult to decide what you want in your life at only eighteen when everyone else has always been deciding for you. It's a struggle that almost everyone can relate to.
2 Paterson (2016)
Jim Jarmusch's Paterson follows a bus driver named Paterson (Adam Driver) who lives in Paterson, New Jersey. He writes poetry throughout his day, observing everything he sees and trying to turn it into words. Paterson is a quiet, contemplative observation of the ups and downs of everyday life. The mundanity of the daily routine, the inconvenience of just one small disruption of your day, and the joy of something simple going your way. A simple story that leaves you appreciative of life.
1 Columbus (2017)
A Korean-born man named Jin (John Cho) finds himself in Columbus, Indiana after his architect father falls into a coma, and a young woman named Casey (Hayley Lu Richardson) who wants to stay in Columbus to take care of her recovering addict mother instead of pursuing her dreams in Kogonada's Columbus. Casey and Jin find each other at exactly the right time. Casey wants to stay in Columbus, but should really leave.
Meanwhile, Jin wants to leave Columbus, but should really stay. Much like the architecture throughout the small city, Casey and Jin are the perfect balance between each other, and it is so comforting how they share this instant bond despite only knowing each other for a few days. While the film deals with mundane subjects, it is anything but mundane. It makes you feel all the emotions you are currently bottling up and acknowledge them.