Narrative film with overt political or ideological message — not propaganda, but deliberate position embedded in script. Costa-Gavras, Loach, Haneke employ this method.
You notice it immediately from the screenplay: a position is being negotiated, not just a story being told. The tendency film uses narrative means—not posters or voice-over lectures—to bring a political or social viewpoint to the cinema. This is not a propaganda film dictating the truth to you. It's more subtle. The perspective is embedded in the scene construction, in the choice of characters, in what is shown and what is concealed.
On set, you notice it in the mise-en-scène. Costa-Gavras, for example—whose films like Z or Missing are classics of the genre—constructs scenes so that the camera never remains neutral. It takes sides through image composition, through editing rhythm, through the placement of characters in space. You don't just film what happens; you film how it happens, and this how carries the political message. Ken Loach works similarly—his British social dramas are not documentaries but structured arguments in feature film form. The working-class family is not at the center by chance; their perspective is the camera's perspective.
The difference from propaganda lies in the fact that the tendency film incorporates contradiction. Michael Haneke, the Austrian master of this form, allows for ambiguity—his films about societal crises are constructed so that you have to make your own interpretation, even if the direction is predetermined. This makes him more dangerous and effective than any obvious message. In editing, this becomes evident: not montage as a lie, but as an selection—you only see what the cinematic stance wants to show you.
Practically, this means: the tendency film requires a clear directorial vision. Direction, cinematography, and editing must work in the same political tonality. There are no neutral shots. Every lighting setup, every camera move, every cut is an argument. This makes such films demanding to shoot—because compromises immediately weaken the message. But it also makes them unforgettable when the means are right.