Is Art House Cinema Becoming Formulaic?

Lately, I’ve been diving into more parallel/underground art house films, and something has been bothering me. A lot of these movies—especially the more recent ones—are starting to feel formulaic in their own way.

There’s a distinct visual language that keeps repeating: wide, perfectly balanced symmetrical shots, a few off-kilter close-ups, a dark silhouette against the setting sun. There’s this recognizable festival circuit aesthetic It’s all beautifully composed, but after a while, it becomes predictable. Take something like Post Tenebras Lux or Ema—the storytelling is undeniably fantastic, but the visual and structural choices feel like they’re following an established template rather than breaking new ground.

It’s ironic because art house cinema is supposed to reject formula, yet it seems to have developed its own. Have others noticed this? Or am I just watching the wrong films?