Jeanne Dielman

Belgium   Delphine Seyrig   w/d Chantal Ackerman

1975 film that put the young filmmaker on the map...a 3 1/2 hour film that meticulously follows the day-to-day activities of a 40ish widow who lives with her teenaged son in an urban apartment. We watch her cook, clean, fold things, buy groceries and supplies, service her afternoon tricks, share silent meals with her self-absorbed son, etc.

The unrelenting monotony of this woman's life becomes the film's principal statement. Her expressionless demeanor points to some underlying trauma, something awry in her psychological makeup...which is borne out by the film's denouement. She is a woman disconnected...from her son, her neighbors, her community. She is an island...suffering silently, beneath the surface...deeply repressed, unable or unwilling to seek solace.

After an hour or so we know her routine and sense when her carefully constructed world begins to unravel...when tiny cracks appear which eventually cause her implosion.

Not a film for everyone. I watched it in segments which worked quite well. A courageous and original work from a 25 year old woman.

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