1975 character study
Rating: 17/20
Plot: Three days in the life of a single mother who makes ends meet by turning tricks.
You've never seen a movie like this. It's bold, daring you to be patient during the minutia. There's no dialogue at all for the first 16 minutes, and there's little interaction between the movie's characters for the duration of its 3 hour and 20+ minute running time. Instead, you just watch Jeanne Dielman going about her day--cooking things, making coffee, cleaning up, running errands, having sex with customers behind a closed door. It's a movie you watch where nothing at all seems to be happening. And then there's a potato issue. And then a catastrophic dropped spoon. And things spiral into an almost invisible out-of-controlness.
Chantal Akerman's the brave filmmaker, and Delphine Seyrig is the actress whose performance helps her make this work. There's this amazing subtlety to what Seyrig does with this character, these barely perceptible nuances that fill you in on exactly what is going on. It's such a great performance. Seriously, just watch a scene where Seyrig is sitting alone at a table for about 9 minutes and tell me there's a better 9 minutes of a woman sitting alone at a table out there.
I wouldn't want to spoil anything. If you watch this, stick with it, appreciate its attention to detail, and know that something will eventually happen. It always does.
I'd love to discuss the feminist message of this film. Somebody help me out?
5 comments:
You forgot to mention that it is better than "Jaws"!! I have been glancing through your recent reviews and it seems as though you are on a foreign film bender where you are being seduced by cinematography and enigmatic storylines, possibly convincing you that slow and confusing is actually profound. Or maybe these are all as great as you say. Knowing me, and the fact that there is ZERO chance that I would put this in the same league as "Jaws", which recent film(s) since "The Band Wagon" would you recommend the most? I have seen "Frantic" and "Earth".
Ok, that 'Jaws' thing was just some whimsical trolling. Jeanne Dielman is fascinating and unlike anything I've ever seen (NOT necessarily a recommendation for you), but I'd put 'Jaws' ahead of it on a "favorites" list.
To answer your question:
La Haine is really good. It's like a more energetic Jarmusch movie which might mean it's not up your alley exactly.
I think you'd like Ashes and Diamonds.
I think you might like Fireworks, too. There are touching relationships at the heart of it, and it's got style to spare.
I doubt you'd like Alex van Warmerdam all that much. Maybe give Borgman a go if you're in the mood for something enigmatic. He's more my cup of tea than yours.
1973 is the movie year I'm doing next, by the way...I don't know if I said that. It's a GREAT year! And the year I was born, so there's that.
Cool. My favorite thing about 1973 is the incredible variety of the great movies. I put La Haine and Ashes and Diamonds on my Netflix queue, though it might be a while since I am still trying to get through 2018. Fireworks looks very interesting but Netflix doesn’t have it, so I am not sure how I will see it. How did you?
Check and see if you have access to Kanopy through your public library. If not, when your oldest runs off to college, she'll have access which means you'll also have access. It's a great free streaming service that has a ton of Criterion stuff, an eclectic mix of documentaries, and lots of other stuff.
Yes, 1973 does have some variety. I was really questioning your inclusion of Live and Let Die on your top-ten list (pretty high, as I recall), but it's apparently a beloved James Bond movie. It won't make my top 35 though.
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