Chantal Akerman was a pioneering Belgian filmmaker whose work is considered a major influence on feminist and avant-garde cinema, in particular. A director of both narrative features and documentaries, Akerman made fascinating projects like the drama I, You, He, She and the deeply personal documentary No Home Movie. Her defining work, however, is the domestic epic Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, frequently ranked among the greatest films of all time.
Minimalist and experimental, Akerman's storytelling is characterized by long takes, meticulous framing, and an exploration of everyday life. Few filmmakers are as good at finding the profound in the quotidian. Akerman's films influenced later directors like Sofia Coppola, Gus Van Sant, and Kelly Reichardt, and seem to grow each year in critical estimation. The following movies represent her most intriguing work and are a solid entry point for those curious about her filmography.
10 'Night and Day'
Year of Release: 1991
This contemplative romantic drama is set in Paris, where Jack (Thomas Langmann) and Julie (Guilaine Londez) live together in an apartment. Jack drives a taxi at night and spends his days with Julie. He introduces her to Joseph (François Négret), the man who drives Jack's taxi during the night. A spark develops between Julie and Joseph and they soon begin an affair, spending their evenings together while Jack works. However, Julie still loves Jack and is torn between the two men.
Night and Day is widely considered to be Akerman's response to François Truffaut's classic Jules and Jim, also about a love triangle. However, whereas the men are at the center of Truffaut's work and the female lead is largely defined by their presence, here Akerman places Julie at the heart of the film. Jack and Joseph are defined in terms of their relationship with her. It's a lean film, comprised of little more than dialogue and a few strolls around Paris, but it all builds up to a masterful, thoughtful ending.
Editor's Note: Not available for streaming or purchase.
9 'Almayer's Folly'
Year of Release: 2011
Almayer's Folly is Akerman's visually stunning adaptation of the novel by Joseph Conrad, author of Heart of Darkness. It tells the story of Almayer (Stanislas Merhar), a European trader living in Southeast Asia and searching for supposed treasure. As the narrative unfolds, we witness Almayer's deteriorating relationships, particularly with his half-Malay daughter Nina (Aurora Marion), whose mixed heritage becomes a source of conflict and tragedy.
The film is a portrait of colonialism, cultural clashes, and personal disillusionment, anchored by sophisticated writing and believable performances. Akerman also gets poetic here, crafting several abstract sequences with striking imagery. The opening credits, for example, are brilliant, unfolding against a shot of dark, stormy waters and a single flashing light. There's also a pivotal, haunting scene where Almayer suffers a breakdown and, finally, a fantastic closing shot. Almayer's Folly stands somewhat apart from the rest of Akerman's work in both narrative and style, but this is also what makes it interesting.
8 'American Stories: Food, Family and Philosophy'
Year of Release: 1989
Although American Stories is a drama and not a documentary, it unfolds not through a traditional narrative but rather a series of first-person accounts by a collection of Jewish characters living in New York City. They tell their life stories, recounting various anecdotes and cracking jokes, which together weave a tapestry about Jewish history and the immigrant experience. The monologues are alternately heartbreaking and hilarious. They talk about everything: displacement, regret, trauma, and, of course, food.
Stylistically, American Stories is bold and boundary-pushing, from the non-fiction voice-over by Akerman herself to the opening sequence showing a boat pulling into New York harbor in the middle of the night to the sound of dozens of voices whispering in various Eastern European languages. Similarly, Akerman uses a mix of professional and non-professional actors, some of whom appear to be improvising. There are also colorful scenes performed on a D.I.Y outdoor set. Unique and eccentric, American Stories is a great statement on the power of oral history.
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Year of Release: 2015
This deeply personal documentary was Akerman's final project. It's an exploration of the filmmaker's relationship with her mother, Natalia Akerman, consisting mainly of Skype conversations between the two of them. Akerman distills roughly forty hours of raw footage into 115 minutes, creating a vivid snapshot of both women. Akerman's mother passed away a few months after filming wrapped, and Akerman herself died tragically in 2015. This feeling of impending loss runs through the film. Speaking about No Home Movie, Akerman said, "I think if I knew I was going to do this, I wouldn’t have dared to do it."
As Natalia, a Holocaust survivor, shares her stories, the film delves into themes of displacement, memory, and the profound impact of history on both survivors and their children. Akerman utilizes a typically minimalist approach, allowing silence and implication to speak volumes. There are some stylistic flourishes, like a series of shots of deserts halfway through the film, which add to the impact.
6 'Tell Me'
Year of Release: 1980
"I still wonder how we got through it." In a parallel to No Home Movie, Tell Me is also a documentary about motherhood, this time focusing on several elderly women who survived the Holocaust, including Akerman's mother. The project, which consists of Akerman's interviews with these women, was commissioned for French TV. She travels door to door, sitting down with the ladies and listening as they open up about their current lives and their heartrending experiences in the camps.
As with American Stories, the focus here is on the spoken word and the impact of personal storytelling. Akerman gives her subjects space to talk at length, giving rise to some unexpected revelations. Along the way, Akerman seems to be making sense of her own origins and family background through all these narratives. While emotional and heavy, there are also some tender moments, like when a grandmother insists that Akerman eat something and then asks her a question while her mouth is full.
5 'A Whole Night'
Year of Release: 1982
In contrast to the monologue-driven American Stories, A Whole Nightis almost wordless. It takes place in a small Brussels town over the course of one night, following various characters as they go about their lives. Rather than plot or characterization, the focus here is on atmosphere. Akerman superbly captures that reflective, late-night feel. Visually, she's also on her A-game, meticulously composing shots of hallways, windows, and doors; frames inside of frames.
Romance runs through the whole affair. We get glimpses of chance meetings, lovers' quarrels, and lonely people hoping to encounter someone in the night. The whole film is more of a tone poem than a conventional narrative, which will frustrate some viewers and delight others. One particularly memorable shot shows a couple dancing, with the camera getting closer and closer until it's in close-up. Soon after, the first rays of sunlight illuminate the city, with the sound of birds and traffic breaking the stillness.
Editor's Note: Not available for streaming or purchase.
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Year of Release: 1978
Anna Silver (Aurore Clément) is a successful filmmaker traveling across Europe for a series of screenings and public appearances. Along the way, she encounters a host of characters, both strange and unfamiliar. They include friends, former lovers, and family members. Despite their conversations, Anna continues to feel isolated. This is symbolized by a scene where Anna listens to various messages on her answering machine but never calls anyone back.
The Meetings of Anna is a quintessential example of Akerman's minimalist approach, characterized by long takes and deliberate pacing. It was her follow-up to Jeanne Dielman and, perhaps as a result, was dismissed by most critics on release. However, its critical standing has significantly improved since then, with many appreciating its semi-autobiographical nature. Clément's lead performance is also worthy of praise. The Meetings of Anna is one of Akerman's most accessible movies, making it a good starting point for those looking to explore her filmography.
3 'News from Home'
Year of Release: 1976
"I dream about you and hope you're happy." This experimental documentary combines long takes of locations in New York City with voice-over of Akerman reading letters she received from her mother between 1971 and 1973 while she lived in the city. The letters are by turns dramatic and mundane, loving, boring, passive-aggressive, and manipulative. Their exchanges are intensely personal, and it's impressive how much Akerman lays out in the open here.
There's a startling juxtaposition between the familiarity of the letters and the cold, impersonal city scenes. The result is a balanced meditation on what it means to leave home as a young person, with all the freedom and loneliness that brings with it. News from Home is also fascinating for providing a peak into Akerman's early adulthood before she found success. At the time, she struggled to get by, working odd jobs and making short films when she could.
2 'I, You, He, She'
Year of Release: 1974
"I realized I was hungry." I, You, He, She was Akerman's feature debut, and it includes many of her trademarks: a slow pace, a focus on romantic relationships, themes of alienation, and the search for connection. Akerman herself stars as Julie, a young woman seeking some kind of intimacy. The first part of the film shows Julie alone in her apartment, engaging in humdrum activities and writing letters. The second follows Julie as she hitchhikes and crosses passed with a young male driver (Niels Arestrup). In the third part, Julie visits her female ex-lover (Claire Wauthion), before leaving again in the morning.
The plot is slight, but that's by design. The film is a study of Julie's inner turmoil. At times, her detachment and desperation seem to verge on some sort of mental breakdown. This is all conveyed with confident minimalism and a touch of radicalism, including one of the very first lesbian sex scenes in mainstream cinema.
1 'Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles'
Year of Release: 1975
Akerman's magnum opus is an epic, meticulously crafted slice of film. Over more than three hours, Jeanne Dielman depicts the daily routine of a widow (Delphine Seyrig) who cooks, cleans, looks after her son, and engages in sex work with a different client each day. Her situation is desperate and a sense of impending doom hangs over it all. Even the most mundane shots come to take on an unsettling significance. Sparse, bleak, and precise, the film delves into the rhythms of Dielman's existence, before shattering them in the third act.
It received a mixed response on release but later developed a cult following. This led to the film's critical reappraisal and canonization as one of the best movies of the 1970s. Jeanne Dielman has since come to be regarded as a masterpiece of slow cinema, with specific praise for its powerful and restrained lead performance and ample food for thought. It has appeared on several publications' lists of the greatest films of all time, notably topping Sight & Sound's 2022 poll.
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