This film screened 10th July 2016.

Hailed as a revelatory masterpiece after its premiere at Cannes in
1975, Jeanne Dielman is a rigorous, un inching portrayal of a Belgian widow and mother to a worrisome, bookish teenage son. Using extended static shots to chronicle three days of Jeanne’s regimented existence as she cooks, cleans, shops, and has sex for money, Akerman was lauded by critic Gary Indiana for her “ability to keep the viewer fascinated by everything normally left out of movies.” Made by an almost all-female crew, including distinguished cinematographer Babette Mangolte, and featuring an astonishing performance from Delphine Seyrig, Akerman later called it “a love film for my mother”, saying, “it gives recognition to that kind of woman.”

(Notes by Alice Butler).

Screening as part of a Chantal Akerman Focus that also includes News From Home. Both screening materials provided by the Cinémathèque Royale de Belgique/Koninklijk Belgisch Filmarchief.

See also Akerman’s last film No Home Movie which opens at the IFI on July 1st.