mood piece

plural mood pieces

1. broadcastingA work of fiction more centered on evoking a specific mood than following a conventional plot.

   The always impressive Spall elevates this low-key mood piece a little, but even his skill as an actor can’t save the stultifying pacing.

   2022 September 4, Wendy Ide, “It Snows in Benidorm review – Timothy Spall is the bright spot in overcast drama”, in The Observer

   2 more examples

   The new picture isn't a thriller. But as an eerily poetic mood piece, where sea sirens menace the gentle romance of a young sailor and an amusement park "mermaid," this low-budget film is a haunting try for something different.

   1963 June 7, Howard Thompson, “‘Night Tide,’ a Mood Piece, Is Shown at the Selwyn Theater”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

   Hunger is more of a mood piece than a straight history of the 1981 Irish hunger strike, but it creates that mood with impressive historical balance and haunting effect.

   2014 March 6, Alex von Tunzelmann, “Hunger: A mood piece with impressive historical balance”, in The Guardian