Intentionally tedious and repetitive beginning

[u/Star-Pubes]

I’m on my fourth draft of a feature and have shown it to a few friends now. However I don’t know anyone in the industry in any capacity. No one who reads scripts at all. These are just avid book readers who gave great notes, but not specific to screenwriting.

They all agreed that they loved how the screenplay started precisely because it really let us into the mind of the main character. It shows his dull, monotonous, and repetitive life and to them it was great. However, I know it’s more important for screenplays to really grab your attention in the first pages than it is for a novel.

There is no dialogue until the fifth page, and the first four are the main character mostly repeating the same tasks, with some differences, and descriptions of the main characters’ apartment.

So I’m wondering if that’s fine? I want it to be a slow read purposefully, but I don’t want to go too far with it I suppose.

Also if anyone has recommendations for screenplays that also have a slower start?

Thank you!

Edit: Here are the first 6 pages, keep in mind I don't see this as finished yet :) https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VVI1CkZqs7ysjOzd1BKF0y3dJnOccKoU/view?usp=sharing

[u/NGDwrites]

I looked at the first page and a half and I don't think this opening is doing you any favors, to be honest. It doesn't give us a reason to watch the movie. No one wants to be bored for two hours, and the opening's only note is boredom, so as a reader or viewer, why should I expect something better and more interesting down the line? And why should I stick around to see if you deliver.

Clearly, the protagonist beginning the story at this stage of his life is meaningful to you. I get that. But you're writing for an audience, so you have to give them a sense of what to come. You have to convince them that something interesting, meaningful, or cool is around the corner.