Making Sense of Complex Cinema: Introducing the TENCo Model of Triadic Engagement with Narrational Complexity

Mainstream complex films like Pulp Fiction and Memento have captivated audiences while challenging classical norms through narrational complexity. David Bordwell’s seminal work mapped these formal strategies, emphasizing they are not qualitatively different from classical ones. However, there is growing recognition that these films offer a unique experience, where coherence is built through effortful and variable processes. Building on this, we introduce the TENCo model—Triadic Engagement with Narrational Complexity—which moves from narrative structure to how complexity is experienced. Drawing from media psychology and cognitive film theory, TENCo conceptualizes engagement as a dynamic process involving cognitive, affective, and appreciative dimensions. It distinguishes between narrational complexity (formal disruptions), complication (informational density), and perceived complexity (subjective experience), offering a framework to explain why some viewers persist through confusion while others disengage. TENCo emphasizes iterative meaning-making and emergent understanding, expanding Bordwell’s analytical rigor to account for how complexity is processed, felt, and appreciated.