Review of Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1976) by Mona K — 24 Apr 2009

Despite this film's reputation as one of the major masterpieces of the postwar European cinema, I was basically dreading watching it. The other Akerman films I've seen--"News From Home" and "La Captive"--are often brutally dull, even though they both have incredibly powerful closing shots.

"Jeanne Dielman," though, was riveting from beginning to end. Akerman's approach is ostensibly rigid and coldly formal, but the film establishes a contemplative pace that feels surprisingly warm.

Seyrig gives a kind of brilliant non-performance, the Mona Lisa of the cinema. The first hour of the film is so open it's nearly invisible. But as Seyrig's routine gets increasingly unsettled, the film becomes a scathing feminist critique of the domestic roles constraining women.

The men in her life--her son, her tricks, and the strangers she passes on the street--are profoundly indifferent to her, if not actively cruel. Her son takes her devotion for granted, though Jeanne also struggles to communicate with him in scenes that are painfully still and silent.

The surprise of the film's ending was spoiled for me years ago, but the final shot remains powerfully enigmatic. Does Jeanne smile at her transgression? Is she gripped with guilt over her crime? Does she register any emotion at all? I could have watched this for six hours.