A short defense of the slow scene
I am not interested in the long take as a flex. I am interested in the long take as an act of trust.
A slow scene asks something of an audience that a fast scene does not: it asks them to stay. Not just in the room, but in themselves. To notice what they are noticing.
The best slow scenes feel inevitable on the second watch. The first time, you are wondering when something will happen. The second time, you realize that something was always happening — you were just being asked to find it.