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I’m admittedly not well versed in Akerman’s work, though I did manage to duck into a Metrograph screening of ”News From Home” sometime during the eight months I lived in NYC. I was really taken with this one, though, newly released in a 4K restoration as part of a retrospective Criterion Collection box set.
Aurore Clément (who I primarily associate with the twenty minutes of Paris, Texas that I can usually make it through before falling asleep) gives such a restrained, natural performance in the titular role. Akerman’s shot compositions are so extremely static that they truly give the feeling of being a wordless observer of the scenes she’s directing Clément through. I‘m sure there are many great essays on how Akerman leverages voyeurism, and I look forward to doing some deep diving here.
Jan 24, 2024
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I love the relationship between these two iconic filmmakers – two wildly talented gals meeting in their 20s, discovering New York together in the 1970s, further developing + expanding their artistic voices, deeply supporting and nurturing one another’s ideas, all while exposing each other to new forms of expression and experimentation. The magic that came out of their collaborations (Hotel Monterey, News from Home, Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles) as well as their individual work is amazing and highly worth a deep dive.
Mar 23, 2023
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This film focuses heavily on the mood and feel. From shots of the French Riviera's rocky shore, to the sprawling fields by the Villa, you're constantly treated with the beauty of nature. In stark contrast to nature's simple & easy beauty, the characters range from narcissistic to "Bohemian" (as described in the movies summary). The plot here focuses on the 3 people vacationing in this villa, 2 friends Adrien & Daniel, and an unwelcome guest Haydée — dubbed the collector of men. Told from Adrien's perspective, you get to experience his mental contradictions first-hand as he battles through what he says he wants, and what you, as a viewer, know he wants. Éric Rohmer’s La Collectionneuse is a great character study, with the excellent bonus of being beautifully shot and extremely vibey.
Jan 21, 2021
Recently rewatched this movie and fell in love with it all over again. It's a slow paced movie by the director Chantal Akerman that. The movie follows Michèle, the protagonist, through her day and like the title says, paints a picture of a young girl at the end of the 60s in Brussels.
I guess my takeaway from the movie is that love can present itself in different forms and there are no right or wrong ways in going about that and exploring the different ways to love. This movie leaves me with a deep love for life, even though I'm not quite sure wether that's what the film is trying to provoke or if it's just because every time I hear the song Suzanne by Leonard Cohen I'm high on it for days, which kind of leads me to my last remark: The use of music in this movie is absolutely fantastic and feels like a delicately placed punch in the stomach.
It's on youtube for free (see the link) and only an hour long!
P.S.: This is my first post, I don't even know if this is the right way to use this website???
Apr 15, 2024
