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"Pretentious" art/film is cool, actually.
**TLDR: We should stop being so afraid of sounding pretentious. Art needs room to try, to fail, to be cringey, and to grow. Yes, let’s stay critical, but don’t let cynicism smother creativity. I’d rather sit through 10 messy films with something to say than one perfect one that says nothing.**
Being pretentious is, by definition, “attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed.” In layman’s terms, I see it as trying to be deep and profound when you don’t really know what you’re talking about. You *know* it when you see it.
People love to throw the label “pretentious” at movies like *Apocalypse Now*, *Wavelength*, *Only God Forgives*, or even *Drive*. University films often get hit with the same tag. And it’s not just film, contemporary art gets this all the time too. Think of the blue square painting, or the banana duct-taped to a wall. Audiences see something that *looks* like it’s trying to be deep, but feels silly or meaningless instead.
**But here’s my point:** we, as a society, need to chill out about pretentiousness. We should stop being so allergic to it, and more importantly, stop being so afraid of looking pretentious ourselves.
You can see this fear play out in mainstream film all the time, especially in what people call “Marvel Humor.” That moment when a character says something sincere or heartfelt, and another immediately cracks a joke to break the tension? That’s not just comedy, it’s a reflexive need to undercut sincerity. A fear of sounding too “deep.”
However, I feel, art *should* be cringeworthy sometimes. It should ask big, uncomfortable questions. Not every filmmaker or artist will succeed at that, but does that mean they shouldn’t try?
I’d honestly rather watch ten movies that try to say something and fail than one that plays it safe the whole way through. Art isn’t just about polish, it’s about astute theme and big ideas. Let people chase inspiration. Let them wander into the unknown. That’s how they find their voice. Sometimes that means trying on big ideas, even if they don’t fully land. That’s part of the process.
And who knows, maybe someone really *does* have something profound to say, but holds back because they’re afraid of looking foolish. I'd rather listen to 4 tales of sound and fury to get 1 that actually signifies something than listen to no tales at all.
That said, I’m not saying we should accept everything uncritically. We should still think carefully about authenticity. We shouldn’t blindly praise every blue square or banana taped to a wall. But lately, it feels like we’ve swung too far in the other direction, toward cynicism and immediate dismissal.
Where’s the romanticism? Is that banana *truly* meaningless? Could there be something to glean from it, a feeling, a message, even a joke that resonates?
Ask yourself this: Can an inkblot be a beautiful work of art? Maybe it wasn’t made with intention, but if it happens to resemble a butterfly, am I supposed to ignore the beauty? Should I treat it like a meaningless smudge, or let it remind me of springtime, flowers, and sunlight? Even if it’s accidental, even if it’s not “profound,” isn’t that feeling still worth something?
#conversation
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**TLDR: We should stop being so afraid of sounding pretentious. Art needs room to try, to fail, to be cringey, and to grow. Yes, let’s stay critical, but don’t let cynicism smother creativity. I’d rather sit through 10 messy films with something to say than one perfect one that says nothing.**
Being pretentious is, by definition, “attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed.” In layman’s terms, I see it as trying to be deep and profound when you don’t really know what you’re talking about. You *know* it when you see it.
People love to throw the label “pretentious” at movies like *Apocalypse Now*, *Wavelength*, *Only God Forgives*, or even *Drive*. University films often get hit with the same tag. And it’s not just film, contemporary art gets this all the time too. Think of the blue square painting, or the banana duct-taped to a wall. Audiences see something that *looks* like it’s trying to be deep, but feels silly or meaningless instead.
**But here’s my point:** we, as a society, need to chill out about pretentiousness. We should stop being so allergic to it, and more importantly, stop being so afraid of looking pretentious ourselves.
You can see this fear play out in mainstream film all the time, especially in what people call “Marvel Humor.” That moment when a character says something sincere or heartfelt, and another immediately cracks a joke to break the tension? That’s not just comedy, it’s a reflexive need to undercut sincerity. A fear of sounding too “deep.”
However, I feel, art *should* be cringeworthy sometimes. It should ask big, uncomfortable questions. Not every filmmaker or artist will succeed at that, but does that mean they shouldn’t try?
I’d honestly rather watch ten movies that try to say something and fail than one that plays it safe the whole way through. Art isn’t just about polish, it’s about astute theme and big ideas. Let people chase inspiration. Let them wander into the unknown. That’s how they find their voice. Sometimes that means trying on big ideas, even if they don’t fully land. That’s part of the process.
And who knows, maybe someone really *does* have something profound to say, but holds back because they’re afraid of looking foolish. I'd rather listen to 4 tales of sound and fury to get 1 that actually signifies something than listen to no tales at all.
That said, I’m not saying we should accept everything uncritically. We should still think carefully about authenticity. We shouldn’t blindly praise every blue square or banana taped to a wall. But lately, it feels like we’ve swung too far in the other direction, toward cynicism and immediate dismissal.
Where’s the romanticism? Is that banana *truly* meaningless? Could there be something to glean from it, a feeling, a message, even a joke that resonates?
Ask yourself this: Can an inkblot be a beautiful work of art? Maybe it wasn’t made with intention, but if it happens to resemble a butterfly, am I supposed to ignore the beauty? Should I treat it like a meaningless smudge, or let it remind me of springtime, flowers, and sunlight? Even if it’s accidental, even if it’s not “profound,” isn’t that feeling still worth something?
#conversation
source
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