Film
Slomo
- Biopic
- Strange
An 18-minute documentary about Dr. John Kitchin, who walked away from neurology to become SLOMO, a man who rollerblades slowly through San Diego. It's meditative and strange—less inspirational than genuinely odd. For anyone curious about radical life reinvention and what happens when you stop playing by the rules entirely.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you enjoy short documentaries that treat an eccentric life choice with curiosity rather than mockery, and you're happy to let a strange premise unfold at its own pace.
Skip it if you need a plot with turns and stakes, since this is a brief, loose portrait of one eccentric man, and its wandering sincerity may feel thin.
What it asks of you: Eighteen minutes at an easy, unhurried pace; it rewards sitting with one odd man's choices rather than waiting for a big payoff.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
The Dawn Wall2017
Two climbers spend years attempting an impossible rock face. Like Slomo, it's about obsession, purpose, and finding transcendence through a single focused act that makes no practical sense.
But Extremely patient pacing. If you need constant narrative momentum or character drama, this will test you.
My Own Private Idaho1991
Gus Van Sant's portrait of drifters and runaways searching for meaning on the margins. Shares Slomo's interest in people who've opted out of conventional life and found strange peace there.
But Bleak subject matter. It's beautiful but not uplifting, and some scenes are genuinely difficult.
Winged Migration2001
A documentary that follows bird migration in long, hypnotic sequences. No narrative, no commentary—just observation and rhythm. It captures that same meditative, almost spiritual quality.
But Minimal dialogue or plot. Some find it contemplative; others find it slow to the point of tedium.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Slomo
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Koyaanisqatsi1983
Both films reject conventional documentary storytelling to create a meditative state. They're about observation, rhythm, and finding the transcendent in the overlooked.
No dialogue, no plot—just Godfrey Reggio and Philip Glass showing life moving in patterns. It's hypnotic and meditative in exactly the way Slomo is, but applied to the entire modern world. A spiritual experience disguised as an experimental film.
But Purely visual and sonic. Without narrative to hold onto, many find it impenetrable or self-indulgent. Requires you to surrender to its rhythm.
More like this (6)
A Ghost Story2017
A haunting exploration of time, purpose, and what we leave behind. Quiet and strange in a way that lingers. The film asks the same questions Slomo does about meaning and how to live.
But Very slow and melancholic. The minimalism can feel frustrating if you're expecting conventional drama.
Man on Wire2008
The true story of Philippe Petit's tightrope walk between the Twin Towers. Another portrait of someone driven by an irrational, beautiful vision of what's possible.
But Heavy on recreations and stylization. Some find the theatrical approach distracts from the real story.
Searching for Sugar Man2012
A mystery wrapped around a forgotten musician. It's about obsession, legacy, and the unexpected places meaning can hide. Deeply moving in its final act.
But The structure takes time to reveal itself. Early sections feel a bit meandering.
Objective, Burma!1945
A war film that examines duty, sacrifice, and the cost of purpose. Older than most recommendations here, but it grapples with similar questions about what makes a life meaningful.
But Dated in some ways, and the pacing is brisk in a way that can feel slight if you're expecting depth.
Synecdoche, New York2008
Both grapple with what happens when someone decides to live entirely by their own philosophy, rejecting external validation. One through radical subtraction, one through baroque excess.
Charlie Kaufman's dizzy, dark masterpiece about a theater director building a life-sized replica of New York inside a warehouse. It's about obsession, purpose, and the gap between the life you plan and the one you actually live—the inverse of Slomo's radical simplification.
But Deliberately confusing and baroque. It sprawls in every direction and resists easy interpretation. Some call it brilliant; others call it pretentious nonsense.
Harlan County U.S.A.1976
Both are character studies of people outside the mainstream who've chosen their own path despite—or because of—the world's judgment. Both are ultimately about integrity.
A documentary about coal miners striking in Kentucky. It's raw, urgent, and about people who've chosen principle over comfort. Different subject than Slomo, but the same insistence that there's something worth sacrificing for—and that the sacrifice itself means something.
But Difficult and sometimes disturbing. The stakes are real poverty and danger, not spiritual searching. Emotionally exhausting in a way Slomo isn't.
People
Cast
John Kitchinas Himself
Directing
- Joshua IzenbergDirector
Production
- Neil IzenbergExecutive Producer
- Amanda MicheliProducer