Je Tu Il Elle

Written, directed and starring Chantal Akerman, Je Tu Il Elle (I You He She) is the story of a woman who goes on a road trip where she endures love affairs during her journey. The film is a study of loneliness and longing for love where a woman goes into her own journey of self-discovery through unconventional means. Also starring Niels Arestrup and Claire Wauthion. Je Tu Il Elle is an intoxicating yet rapturous film from Chantal Akerman.

The film is a study of loneliness and a woman finding herself as it is told in a minimalist fashion. All of which told in three different sequences where this woman named Julie (Chantal Akerman) deals with loneliness as the first act is about Julie in her apartment writing a letter and such. The second act takes place on the road where she meets this truck driver (Niels Arestrup) and the third is where she meets a former lover (Claire Wauthion). All of which plays into this woman trying to find herself as it is told with very little dialogue as it largely features a lot of voiceover narration from Julie’s perspective in the first act with very little said in the second and third.

Akerman’s direction definitely plays a lot to the film’s minimalist presentation as it isn’t about any striking compositions but rather the simplicity of it where much of the scenes shot in the apartment appears in a static shot where the camera would remain still as well as show the apartment from one side to another without the need to move it. The simplicity of the presentation where Akerman goes for mostly medium and wide shots in the apartment sequence as well as in the third act are very entrancing while she goes for a close-up for the scenes with the truck driver in his truck during a monologue. Shot in grainy 16mm black-and-white film, Akerman would create something that feels real but also not dwell too much into style. Yet, she would create something that plays into what Julie wants as it also says a lot about Akerman’s view on sex and sexual identity. Overall, Akerman creates a provocative yet mesmerizing film about a lonely woman’s journey of self-discovery.

Cinematographer Benedicte Delesalle does brilliant work with the film‘s black-and-white photography from the usage of shadows and light for scenes set at night in the interior scenes to the grainy look for the scenes inside the truck. Editor Luc Freche does nice work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with very little cuts in favor of long-takes with the only usage of style is in the fade-outs to structure the story. The film’s sound by Samy Szlingerbaum and Alain Pierre is fantastic for not just how natural it is but also in the editing of Julie’s narration. The performances of Claire Wauthion and Niels Arestrup in their respective roles as Julie’s girlfriend and the truck driver who each provide a sense of charm that would fascinate Julie. Chantal Akerman is amazing as Julie as a young woman dealing with loneliness and her surroundings as she befriends this truck driver and later meet a girlfriend where she copes with the journey her life has taken.

As part of the 2010 Eclipse box set series of Chantal Akerman’s work in the 1970s from the Criterion Collection, the film is presented in a 1:33:1 full-frame aspect ratio with Dolby Digital mono as the set features an essay written by film essayist Michael Koresky entitled Je Tu Il Elle: Form Follows Dysfunction. The essay discusses many of the themes in the film as well as the ideas Akerman would later hone into the films she would make in the coming years. Especially in its portrayal of women as well as their journey to find themselves in a modern world. Even in the journey that Julie would take in the people she meets as it play into who she is and what she realizes about herself as it’s a very compelling essay.

Je Tu Il Elle is a phenomenal film from Chantal Akerman. It’s a film that explores a woman’s isolation as well as yearning to connect while trying to find herself. Even as it doesn’t display any kind of cinematic conventions nor refusing to delve into elements of style. In the end, Je Tu Il Elle is an incredible film from Chantal Akerman.

Chantal Akerman Films: La Chambre - Hotel Monterey - Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce 1080 Bruxelles - News from Home - Les Rendez-vous d'Anna - (American Stories, Food, Family and Philosophy) - (Night and Day (1991 film)) - (A Couch in New York) - (La Captive) - (Tomorrow We Move) - (Almayer’s Folly) - (No Home Movie)

© thevoid99 2016

Les Rendez-vous d'Anna

Written and directed by Chantal Akerman, Les Rendez-vous d’Anna (The Meetings of Anna) is the story of a filmmaker traveling through Europe to promote her film as she meets various people during her journey. The film is a character study in which a woman doesn’t just deal with being on the road but also the encounters she has in her travels as she copes with isolation from her surroundings. Starring Aurore Clement, Helmut Griem, Magali Noel, Hans Zischler, Lea Massari, and Jean-Pierre Cassel. Les Rendez-vous d’Anna is a mesmerizing and provocative film from Chantal Akerman.

Told in nearly the span of 72 hours from Cologne to Paris, the film revolves around the travels of a filmmaker who is promoting her film as she copes with the growing detachment of her surroundings as well as the people she meets along the way. It’s a film that explores a woman dealing with the role she is in as she ponders about the world she left behind she makes a brief visit to Brussels to see her mother and then return home. Along the way, she meets a family friend, a stranger on a train, and two men whom she would sleep with as it adds to this growing sense of detachment towards the people around her.

Chantal Akerman’s script does have a traditional structure as the first act is set in Cologne, West Germany while the second act is set partially on the train as well as its train stops including one at Brussels, and the third set in Paris. Yet, it is more about the study of its protagonist Anna Silver (Aurore Clement) who deals with traveling constantly and the demands to show her film to the world where she feels lost in her travels. Though the script features a lot of monologues from characters that Anna meets, it is largely minimalist in terms of its settings and refusal to dwell into conventional plot-points in favor of dwelling on Anna’s actions and her reaction to the news along with her recollections in her travels.

Akerman’s direction is very intoxicating for the way she doesn’t just capture that sense of detachment between a woman and her surroundings but also in the way she creates these gorgeous compositions to play that sense of detachment. Since the film features very little close-ups in favor of wide and medium shots, Akerman finds way to compose these images with something that feels ordinary but has something that feels very engaging. Even in the way she would put her actors into a frame whether they’re looking outside of a hotel room or have a conversation outside of one’s house. It says so much by doing so little into exploring Anna’s detachment as it would include these wide shots of the train stop interiors where she would meet her mother (Lea Massari) and a family friend in Ida (Magali Noel). Akerman does go for a few dolly-tracking shot for some of the movements that occur in the film though much of it straightforward where it’s not about camera pans or angles.

Instead, Akerman is just about that that direct image into the way she creates these compositions as the wide shots are lined-up in the middle of train stop staircase or a ticket booth in a train station. It has this air of simplicity into the direction while proving that these scenes just need sound and a visual without the usage of heavy dialogue as these quieter moments in the film are just as entrancing as the ones that features lots of dialogues and monologues. The scenes set in the train showcase that growing sense of isolation and detachment where Anna would walk through train compartments where one compartment is cramped with a lot of people forcing her to go back to another where it seems like she’s reluctant to even want to connect with a bunch of people but rather this one person on his way to Paris. It has something that does feel very European not just visually but also in its tone where it is a world that is changing but in ways that has Anna feel detached from as it relates to her own sense of loneliness. Overall, Akerman creates an evocative and captivating film about a woman’s journey through Europe.

Cinematographer Jean Penzer does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography from the low-key yet colorful look of many of the daytime exteriors to the naturalistic lighting for scenes set at night including the stylish lights in the train stops and inside the train. Editor Francine Sandberg does excellent work with the editing where it is quite straightforward with some jump-cuts in some parts while letting scenes play out in their long takes. Production designer Philippe Graf does fantastic work with the look of the hotel rooms that Anna would stay in throughout her journey. The sound work of Henri Morelle is amazing for how natural it sounds as well as capturing everything that is heard including whatever music is playing in the radios.

The film’s small yet superb cast includes Hans Zischler as a man Anna converses with on the train to Brussels and Jean-Pierre Cassel as her Parisian lover Daniel who copes with the unhappiness of his work. Magali Noel is wonderful as a family friend in Ida whom Anna is fond of as Ida tells her that her son is the right person for her despite Anna’s own uncertainty while Lea Massari is fantastic as Anna’s mother who reveals into a lot of things that is happening in Brussels as well as things involving the family. Helmut Greim is excellent as Heinrich as a German Anna meets early in the film as he sleeps with her and later invites her to his home where he frets over the changes of the world. Finally, there’s Aurore Clement in an incredible performance as Anna Silver as this filmmaker who is going on a road trip to promote her film as she deals with her growing isolation and detachment in her surroundings and encounter with people where it’s a very restrained performance for much of the film with one key moment she sings a song to Daniel.

As part of the 2010 Eclipse box set series of Chantal Akerman’s work in the 1970s from the Criterion Collection, the film features an essay about the film entitled Meetings with Chantal by essayist Michael Koresky. The essay discusses not just the period of where Akerman was when she was making the film but also the backlash she received from feminists for working with a male crew though Akerman never claimed to be a feminist. What Akerman wanted to do was play into that sense of longing and loneliness into the character of Anna while the film did sort of serve as the antithesis of sorts to her previous feature film in Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles which she claimed was never meant to be a political nor a feminist film. Instead, the film would reflect on a period in her career where she would become nomadic in her travels while still longing to return home to her native Belgium as it’s a fascinating essay by Koresky.

Les Rendez-vous d’Anna is a phenomenal film from Chantal Akerman that features a magnificent performance from Aurore Clement. Not only is the film a compelling character study with these evocative themes of isolation and detachment. It’s also a film that explores the travels of a woman and her need to wanting to connect but feel lost in her surroundings. In the end, Les Rendez-vous d’Anna is a spectacular film from Chantal Akerman.

Chantal Akerman Films: La Chambre - Hotel Monterey - Je Tu Il Elle - Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles - News from Home - (American Stories, Food, Family and Philosophy) - (Night and Day (1991 film)) - (A Couch in New York) - (La Captive) - (Tomorrow We Move) - (Almayer’s Folly) - (No Home Movie)

© thevoid99 2016

2016 Blind Spot Series: News from Home

Written, directed, and starring Chantal Akerman, News from Home is the story about Akerman’s life in New York City as she reads corresponding letters from her mother about her time in the city in the early 1970s. While it is largely a documentary feature of sorts, the film is a look into the world of New York City from the view of a European who reflects on her time to the city that she had visited years earlier. The result is a fascinating and evocative film from Chantal Akerman.

The film is a simple documentary of sorts about a woman reading letters from her mother during her time in New York City. Shot in 1976, the film plays into lingering image of New York City from shots of the streets, the subways, and many other images in day and night at time where it was in a sense of decay but also filled with that sense of adventure. Yet, it features narration by Chantal Akerman reading the many letters that her mother wrote from the early 70s as it has this sense of longing and reflection where Akerman’s voice display that sense of longing and feeling homesick in the letters she reads. The letters would reveal stories about relatives, family illnesses, break-ups, and other things but also that sense of longing where Akerman’s mother talks about how much she misses her and wonders why Akerman hasn’t written any letters for two weeks to a month.

With the aid of cinematographers Babette Mangolte and Jim Asbell, Akerman creates a look that is quite grainy and realistic with a lot of static shots with few moments of the camera moving around. Most notably a 360-degree panning of a subway galleria under Times Square as it plays into a sense of vibrancy that is New York City in the mid-1970s. Much of the shooting would involve some long takes while there would be moments where the takes would have these unexpected jump-cuts from editor Francine Sandberg who would provide something that felt unpredictable yet adds to that sense of knowing when not to cut. It’s the sound work of Dominique Dalmasso and Larry Haas that adds a lot to the film as it records much of Akerman’s narration in reading the letters mixed in with the sounds of the city itself though there are moments where the sound of the city drowns Akerman’s narration. However, it does add that sense of longing in Akerman’s voice as she reads the letters from her mother against the backdrop of many images in the city.

From the 2010 box set of films by Chantal Akerman made in the 1970s that is released by the Criterion Collection through its Eclipse series. The film is featured in one of three DVD discs as the film, along with La Chambre and Hotel Monterey, is part of the film’s first disc. The disc also features an essay by essayist Michael Koresky entitled A Belgian in New York. The essay doesn’t just discuss that period in Akerman’s life and career but also the time she spent in New York City as this foreigner who had found herself in the city’s avant-garde film scene. Koresky also talked about Akerman’s technique while revealing that Hotel Monterey was shot in a span of fifteen hours. Koresky also talks about the approach in News from Home as it had something that was considered avant-garde but it had something that was really personal as the essays a lot about the trilogy of films from New York and Akerman herself.

News from Home is an enchanting film from Chantal Akerman. It’s a film that takes an idea that is very simple and create something that feels very personal as well as bring insight from a foreigner’s point of view in a city as she reads letters from her own mother. In the end, News from Home is a rapturous film from Chantal Akerman.

Chantal Akerman Films: La Chambre - Hotel Monterey - Je Tu Il Elle - Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce 1080 Bruxelles - Les Rendez-vous d’Anna - (American Stories, Food, Family and Philosophy) - (Night and Day (1991 film)) - (A Couch in New York) - (La Captive) - (Tomorrow We Move) - (Almayer’s Folly) - (No Home Movie)

© thevoid99 2016

Hotel Monterey

Directed by Chantal Akerman, Hotel Monterey is a documentary film of sorts that has Akerman taking a look at the famed Hotel Monterey in New York City. The film is a mixture of documentary and experimental filmmaking that explores the many rooms, lobbies, and such inside this cheap yet intoxicating hotel. The result is a fascinating yet rapturous film from Chantal Akerman.

Set in a section of New York City that is near the river and at this hotel (that is now a Days Inn), the film is about the look of a hotel and its many occupants, rooms, corridors, and other aspects in the hotel. Shot with no sound, the film is largely a silent documentary where it spends a few minutes gazing into its lobby and then spend some time inside the elevator. For much of the film, the camera rarely moves where Chantal Akerman takes great time to create simple shots from the way she positions the camera inside the hotel’s corridors or in a wide shot of the rooms from inside that include a few of its occupants. It’s a film that showcases something that could be very ordinary in any manner but has something that is very extraordinary.

With the aid of cinematographer Babbette Mangolte, Akerman maintains something that is naturalistic in its imagery while shooting the film on a grainy film stock to make it feel real with whatever kind of lighting that was available. The film is broken down into sections where editor Genevieve Luciano would provide a few abrupt jump-cuts for each of these transitions including some key moments where Akerman would put the camera on a wide shot for six minutes in a corridor while an elevator would open in real time. Then it would cut to a close-up of the elevator buttons where it adds something that is unique. The scenes of the corridor where the camera would finally move as it goes into a tracking shot towards a window display what they would look like in day and night. What Akerman would do is create something where it is about simplicity but also showcase that there is magic to something that can be seen as ordinary by many.

Hotel Monterey is a phenomenal film from Chantal Akerman. It’s a film that showcases life in a cheap, remote New York City hotel from the view of a foreigner where it is quite daring but also engaging for the way it is told with such simplicity. Especially as it takes a look into this obscure and remote hotel in a city that was quite adventurous back then. In the end, Hotel Monterey is an exquisite film from Chantal Akerman.

Chantal Akerman Films: La Chambre - Je Tu Il Elle - Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles - News from Home - Les Rendez-vous d’Anna - (American Stories, Food, Family and Philosophy) - (Night and Day (1991 film)) - (A Couch in New York) - (La Captive) - (Tomorrow We Move) - (Almayer’s Folly) - (No Home Movie)

© thevoid99 2016

La Chambre

Directed by Chantal Akerman, La Chambre is an 11-minute short film set entirely in an apartment in New York City. The first of a trilogy of films set in New York City, the short is a look into the life of an apartment from the view of a woman visiting the city. The result is a simple yet fascinating short from Chantal Akerman.

The film is simply a look into a New York City apartment where Chantal Akerman is living in as the camera pans on a tripod looking into everything that is at the apartment. The camera would gaze slowly into many ordinary objects that play into the look of this apartment while Akerman is seen on her bed lying on it and later peeling an orange to eat. The fact that it is told in that kind of presentation just adds a lot to the film where it proves that simplicity can be the key to tell a story. With the aid of cinematographer Babbette Mangoite in shooting the film, it has a sort of grainy yet realistic look to it that is very beautiful to look at. Though it does seem like it was shot entirely on one take thanks to some invisible cutting by editor Genevieve Luciano who would help provide that air of illusion into the presentation of the film.

La Chambre is an extraordinary short film from Chantal Akerman. It’s a simple little short film that explores so much by doing so little as it displays Akerman’s gift as an artist. In the end, La Chambre is an enchanting film from Chantal Akerman.

Chantal Akerman Films: Hotel Monterey - Je Tu Il Elle - Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles - News from Home - Les Rendez-vous d’Anna - (American Stories, Food, Family and Philosophy) - (Night and Day (1991 film)) - (A Couch in New York) - (La Captive) - (Tomorrow We Move) - (Almayer’s Folly) - (No Home Movie)

© thevoid99 2016

Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles

Written and directed by Chantal Akerman, Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles is the story of a single mother’s life in the course of three days as she takes care of her son while being a part-time prostitute for clients that she meets. The film is an exploration into a woman’s discipline life which starts off meticulously as it later unravels in the course of the three days that is explored. Starring Delphine Seyrig in the title character along with Jan Decorte, Henri Storck, Jacques Doniol-Valcroze, and Yves Bacal. Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles is an engrossing yet captivating film from Chantal Akerman.

Jeanne Dielman is a widowed woman who lives a life where by day, she is a widowed housemother who is raising her teenage son Sylvain (Jan Decorte). During the afternoon when he’s away, she does a routine of cleaning her apartment and getting whatever things she needs like food, yarn, or anything. Before dinnertime, Dielman would have men visiting her as she plays the role of a prostitute. She gets paid and they leave as she continues to do her duty as a woman where once Sylvain comes home. She serves him dinner and helps out with his homework as they do all sorts of things in their lives.

After a good first day with her first client (Henri Storck) going well and the second day seems fine. Her second client (Jacques Doniol-Valcroze) comes in for the second afternoon where something happens as Dielman’s disciplined routine starts to unravel. With the third day happening, Dielman’s own world starts to crumble in the routines and in her search to find a button for a coat she received from her sister in Canada. When her third client (Yves Bacal) arrives, Dielman ponders about the life that she leads for herself and her son.

The film is an in-depth look into the life of a widowed housemother in the span of three days as she works part-time as a self-employed prostitute. Throughout the three days that is presented, the film dwells into this woman’s life in the way she conducts herself. Her typical day is to wake up in the morning, make breakfast for her son, polish his shoes so he can get ready for school. Then, she does some cleaning, run a few errands like going to the bank and get some food for the meals she’s to make for dinner. She returns home for a bit to have a bit of lunch, take care of a baby for a neighbor for a while, and leave the apartment for a bit for a few before she meets her client who goes to apartment. After that, she finishes making the dinner and waits for her son to return so they can eat. She checks on his homework, they go out for a bit, and go to bed.

That is what a day of Jeanne Dielman’s life is essentially as Chantal Akerman gets the audience to delve into this woman’s daily life in the course of three days. After the first day and everything else leading up to Dielman’s encounter with her second client, things would unravel as little by little. Things that the audience sees in the first day that Dielman does in her life starts to go out of order. There, a woman starts to realize something isn’t right as she tries to get things back in order. By the third day, it gets worse as Dielman’s own world leaves her unhinged and confused about the things she does leading to a climatic moment in the film.

Akerman’s direction is very entrancing in the way she presents the film based on an unconventional yet minimalist script that doesn’t feature a lot of dialogue. At the same time, the approach that Akerman tells the story is engaging but also detached in some respects since there are no close-ups nor any camera movements. Plus, there is no film score as the only music that is present is what’s heard on the radio or on location. The camera always remain still and observing everything that Dielman does in her daily routine. Akerman’s framing also serves as a way to make Dielman’s world seem oppressive in some ways where she is often in the frame while there’s one scene where she’s trying to get money at a bank where she’s at the edge of it.

The direction of the film has Akerman taking the film’s lack of conventional plot by letting Dielman’s life be told in a meticulous manner of the way she conducts her life. For a film with a 201-minute running time, not everyone will want to invest into the world of this woman as the first half of the film is an exploration of what a typical day the woman goes through in twenty-four hours. After her tryst with her second client, the details of what the audience sees in the first half on the way Dielman does her duties begin to unwind in the littlest of details. It’s all about the way Akerman deconstructs things where the film starts to feel looser though maintains its minimalist tone. The overall approach in its story and in its direction is a mesmerizing yet haunting portrait of a woman’s life told in such grand detail from the mind of Chantal Akerman.

Cinematographer Babette Mangolte does a superb job with the film‘s photography that is very simple and colorful in the way many of the film‘s interiors are present. Notably when Dielman turns on the lights and turns them off to give a very dark look to the rooms she’s in while many of the exteriors in Brussels show a wondrous but grainy look to maintain the intimacy of the film. Editor Patricia Canino does an excellent job with the editing in utilizing a few jump-cuts while keeping the film straightforward for its slow though methodical pacing for the film.

Art director Philippe Graff does a brilliant job with the look of Dielman‘s apartment filled with objects and things including Sylvain‘s bed which when folded back turns into a big chair. Sound editor Alain Marchal and mixer Jean Paul Loublier is amazing for the intimacy that is presented throughout the film for many of the film’s interiors. The exterior sound work play to the location of Brussels with sparse sound textures to exemplify Dielman’s quiet life.

The cast for the film includes some notable brief appearances by Henri Storck, Jacques Doniol-Valcroze, and Yves Bacal as the three clients Dielman meets in the film along with Akerman providing the voice as the unseen-neighbor who gives Dielman her baby to look after. Jan Decorte is very good as Dielman’s teenage son Sylvain who asks questions about his late father as well as the idea of what women go through in a very low-key but memorable performance. Finally, there’s Delpine Seyrig, in what is definitely a performance for the ages, as the title character. Seyrig’s performance is one that is definitely restrained and quiet in the way she makes Dielman into a compelling but also sympathetic figure. Particularly as there’s a complexity to this woman who at times seems oppressed but also a bit comforted by her routine until it unravels on her where Seyrig maintains that sense of restraint throughout her performance. It is truly a chilling but evocative performance from the late yet iconic actress.

***DVD Tidbits Written from 3/31/13-4/8/13***

The 2009 Region 1 2-disc DVD from the Criterion Collection presents the film in its 1:66:1 theatrical aspect ratio with Dolby Digital Mono sound. The first disc is the film itself supervised and approved by its creator Chantal Akerman in a new remastered digital transfer as well as new and improved English subtitles. The second disc of the DVD includes a slew of extras relating to the film as well as it’s filmmaker.

The first is a 69-minute documentary called Autour de “Jeanne Dielman” by actor Sami Frey as it chronicles the making of the film. The documentary explores the process of how Chantal Akerman wanted to make the film as she and Delphine Seyrig often talk about how to approach the character and do things in a meticulous manner. Shot in grainy black-and-white video, it’s a very compelling piece of footage that reveals Akerman’s approach as well as Seyrig’s view on feminism.

2 interviews with Akerman includes a 20-minute piece on the film as well as a 17-minute piece on Akerman’s view on filmmaking. The first interview has Akerman talking about how she got introduced to the world of films and her collaboration with cinematographer Babette Mangolte. Akerman also talks about her approach to filmmaking and how she met Delphine Seyrig at a film festival as well as the initial reaction to Jeanne Dielman when it premiered at the Director’s Fortnight in Cannes. The second interview is from a French TV show in which Akerman reads a text about herself in a self-portrait about her life and the journey she took to become a filmmaker. It’s an interesting piece that reveals a woman reading about herself as she comes of age.

The 23-minute interview with cinematographer Babette Mangolte has Mangolte talk about her collaboration and friendship with Akerman as well as their views on film. Mangolte talks about her first meeting with Akerman in the early 70s in New York City where they both shared a love for experimental films and how they used their background in experimental filmmaking for Jeanne Dielman. A lot of unveils some technical aspects of the film such as why the framing device for the film was so unique and how helpful Delphine Seyrig was during the production. It’s a very fascinating interview from someone who has very unique views on films and feminism.

The 28-minute interview with Akerman’s mother Natalia from 2007 as it’s directed by Akerman has Natalia Akerman talk about her daughter’s work and her opinions about film. With Chantal Akerman seen mostly off-camera asking her mother various questions, it is truly one of the most entertaining interviews as it’s shot largely in a still shot where Natalia Akerman reveals her love for her daughter’s films and how she can relate to them as opposed to the big-time Hollywood blockbusters. The 7-minute archival TV excerpt with Akerman and actress Delphine Seyrig from a February 1976 French TV program has Akerman and Seyrig talk about the film and what they wanted to say where Seyrig responds to men’s reaction about the realism of the film with Akerman supporting Seyrig’s response.

The 13-minute short film Saute ma ville is the first short film directed and starring Akerman back in 1968 when she was just 18-years old. It’s a very witty short set in a confined apartment space as a young woman cooks and clean her kitchen. It’s a very funny short that also has an air of darkness as the short also includes a two-minute introduction from Akerman explaining the film and how it would relate to some of the attributes that she would use in Jeanne Dielman. The DVD also contains a booklet that features an essay by film scholar Ivone Marguiles entitled A Matter of Time. The essay has Marguiles discussing Akerman’s filmmaking approach and why the film is considered a landmark for feminists. It’s an engrossing essay that unveils the film’s importance in cinema as well as the career of its creator Chantal Akerman.

***End of DVD Content***

Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles is an extraordinary yet provocative film from Chantal Akerman featuring a radiant yet soaring performance from Delphine Seyrig. While the film’s long running time and minimalist approach won’t be for everyone’s taste since it is a demanding film that requires patience. It is however a fascinating though haunting portrait of a woman as it is considered be one of the greatest films of the 1970s feminist movement. In the end, Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles is a brilliant but harrowing drama from Chantal Akerman.

Chantal Akerman Films: La Chambre - Hotel Monterey - Je Tu Il Elle - News from Home - Les Rendez-vous d’Anna - (American Stories, Food, Family and Philosophy) - (Night and Day (1991 film)) - (A Couch in New York) - (La Captive) - (Tomorrow We Move) - (Almayer’s Folly) - (No Home Movie)

© thevoid99 2011