Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles was made in 1975 by the director Chantal Akerman, who also wrote the screenplay. Now before I discuss the film and how it made me feel, I want to suggest that it is not a unique film thematically, Luis Bunuel's film, Belle de Jour (1967) explores the idea of a married woman who works as a prostitute in the afternoon and Agnes Varda's film, Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962) offers a very memorable female protagonist who awaits the results of medical tests to find out whether she has cancer. I mention these two films, not to denigrate the impact of Akerman's film, but to reiterate that there are other films that feature strong female protagonists, which are also worth seeing.
The first thing that anyone ever mentions about Jeanne Dielman is the length of the film. Its running time is 201 minutes. Now historically, the longer films tend to be more action based (for better or worse) and the key to their appreciation lies in immersing yourself in their sense of spectacle and their character development, where it is apparent. The actions in this film are primarily focused on a small apartment with occasional excursions into the environs around the abode of the mother and her son, Sylvain. The static camera is set up and long takes of the minutiae of life are offered to the viewer. The editing is minimal.
Now from my brief description of the cinematography, you could be mislead into believing that the film would be slow paced. Well, the events of the film depict three days in the life of a mother and a woman who primarily lives and breathes in her apartment alone (her son comes in each evening after school or college and basically ignores her, but their companionship is apparent from the moment he first appears. They are not enemies to each other, merely separate in terms of their needs and desires, although Jeanne is clearly interested in her son's academic work. They also both have an interest in music and song).
Jeanne Dielman spends the majority of her days doing housework and preparing meals. Everything about her life is ritualistic, even the monetary transactions with her afternoon clients before they leave. The director focuses exhaustively on the tiny details, the seemingly endless shot of Jeanne as she peels a handful of potatoes. Also one particularly horrific shot of Jeanne kneading meat that I am sure would repulse most vegans and vegetarians (I eat meat and even I found it hard to watch). She takes pride in her work and all of her daily rituals, provide her with some kind of security. They never explicitly state it but her behaviour is largely resemblent of sufferers of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Personally, I recognised the non-stop pattern of turning light switches on and off. Also her life is so determined by an order of her own creation, it becomes painful to watch at times.
By the time, the viewer gets to day 3 of what eventually transpires to be her mental breakdown, all of the comforting rituals break down (she drops an item of cutlery whilst drying up, loses her grip on a brush as she polishes her son's shoes and arrives far too early for the opening of certain shops she regularly frequents). In a film where many daily routines are shot in real time, it is telling that the most saddening sequence on day 3 involves Jeanne going to her regular cafe/bar, only to discover that her table has been taken. She ends up shifting to the table adjacent to her usual one but is very uncomfortable seeing another person spread over her territory.
Despite my descriptions of the events of the film, there are moments of humour in the film, particularly a scene involving a child Jeanne momentary looks after whilst a neighbour goes out and gets shopping. Jeanne's maternal instincts are negligible to say the least as she picks up the child from the carry cot and the baby howls an almost primal scream. Also a short discussion that Sylvain has with Jeanne about sex (Sylvain believes in an almost ideal notion of relationships. You should only have sex with someone you love and also the act of sex seems to horrify him in some respects).
My enduring memories of the film will be informed by the diegetic use of sound. The sound although regularly heightened or exaggerated is, as it would be in your daily life. The viewer can hear the traffic noises from outside and the other sounds associated with the routines of life. The boiling kettle reaches a high pitched note on the gas oven and the light switches click on and off audibly, whilst Jeanne's shoes tap repetitively across her apartment. There is also an interesting use of light throughout the film. The main living room has a wall that is rendered visually unstable by the neon lights from a building opposite and the lift from the ground floor to Jeanne's apartment is surrounded by a light show that helps to oppress her character, even more than the tight confines of the life.
By the end of the film, the viewer genuinely cares about Jeanne Dielman's plight, although we have only been privy to scant details about her personal life but have an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of her daily routines. Her final act and its aftermath leave you wondering what next for the character. Will the serving dish continue to act as a receptacle for money? Will her son discover what has happened? Also I left the cinema thinking, did it happen or did she imagine it? To find out what I mean, you will have to see the film or read a synopsis of the plot but I do recommend you see the film. I certainly don't think it warrants being number one in any list of 'Greatest films of all time' but it has an energy and fundamentally, if you view it as a film in which 'nothing much happens', I beg to differ. Where 'nothing much happens', everything matters. I think that is the most important lesson of all. Sometimes, the big picture is so much less significant than the activities of the daily grind. Life is in the detail.
Barry Watt - 12th March 2023.
Afterword.
The film Jeanne Dielman, 23, Qual du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles is available on DVD and Blu Ray. Although, my blog entry has explored various aspects of the film, it's definitely worth seeing and significantly, I think it warrants seeing with an audience too. As such, if it ever gets shown at a cinema near you, please go and see it.
The BFI (British Film Institute) has a website and as an organisation are very supportive of film making and film in general:
https://www.bfi.org.uk/
Sight and Sound is a magazine produced by the BFI:
https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound
Belle de Jour and Cleo from 5 to 7 can also be purchased on DVD and other formats. They are both worth seeing for their intelligent and strong female protagonists.
BW.
Photo.
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| A potato. If you focus on the commonplace, it becomes extraordinary. BW. |
