The news surprised more than one: Jeanne Dielman was elected, at the end of 2022, as the best film in the history of cinema. Why this film? Why does it continue to be an event almost 50 years later? Focus on the filmmaker in the spotlight at an exhibition.
Remember! At the end of 2022, a very serious ranking came to recognize Jeanne Dielman 23, Quai Du Commerce, 1080 Brussels as the best film in the history of cinema. 1,600 critics voted to choose a feature film at the request of the BFI (British Film Institute) magazine “Sight and Sound” and it was this feature film dating from 1976 which came out on top, much to the surprise of some . This ranking is only updated once every 10 years.
Best film in the history of cinema or 3h18 of profound boredom? Why should this divisive work be revisited?
Why is this divisive work worth (re)seeing?
Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du commerce, 1080 Brussels is a work like no other, surrounded by a singular aura. It is a film which was seen very little when it was released (31,000 admissions in 1976), and which became very difficult to watch legally for many years (for a question of rights), therefore giving it a very rare side, like a hidden treasure…
But at the same time, this film, directed by Belgian filmmaker Chantal Akerman, who died in 2015, is praised and celebrated everywhere by some of the greatest active filmmakers (Todd Haynes, Kelly Reichardt, the Dardenne brothers…). The re-release of the film in France last year, thanks to the distributor Capricci, resulted in nearly 19,000 additional admissions. A nice score for a release.
Jeanne Dielman depicts the daily life of a mother who occasionally engages in prostitution. The film will take the time to show all these everyday facts and gestures. Does Chantal Akerman film banality? Detractors will say yes, finding the film lasting 3h18 interminable, boring, even boring. But to think that is to completely miss the work of Chantal Akerman’s direction…”There is a tension that is created because underground we feel that something is going to happen. It’s like an ancient tragedy, with nothing, almost nothing…“Chantal Akerman described this work of tension like this.
Chantal Akerman in the spotlight in 2024
Behind this work, there is a filmmaker that many are discovering or rediscovering today: Chantal Akerman of whom we will commemorate the 10th anniversary of his death in 2015. His very rich career, punctuated by films, TV films, texts and installations in museums, today arouses a lot of curiosity and interest.
Like a director like Agnès Varda, also born in Belgium, her work is finally being put more in the spotlight and celebrated, particularly in museums. After the Agnès Varda exhibition at the Cinémathèque française, Chantal Akerman is highlighted thanks to the Belgian CINEMATEK. The institution based in the heart of Brussels has joined forces with the neighboring establishment, the Bozar Museum, to host the exhibition entitled Chantal Akerman Traveling. at the same time, CINEMATEK will broadcast all of the director’s films.
In France, you will have to wait until the 2nd semester to discover several events around Chantal Akerman. The distributor and publisher Capricci will unveil a theatrical retrospective of the filmmaker’s work (retrospective started last year with Jeanne Dielman), followed by a DVD/Blu-ray box set, and finally the arrival of the Chantal exhibition Akerman Traveling at the Jeu de Paume in Paris.
Why discover the Chantal Akerman exhibition in Brussels?
Before the Jeu de Paume, the exhibition, which has just opened at Bozar in Brussels, is on display until July 21, 2024 in Brussels. This is an extended version of the exhibition which will then arrive in Paris. It covers 1,000 m2 and a dozen rooms.
You can discover a completely new Super 8 film restored for the exhibition. This is precisely a film that she made in order to enter her film school. The exhibition brings together working documents, scripts, handwritten notes, photos and other press files.
Finally, if you are traveling to the Belgian capital, consider taking a little detour to see this very beautiful fresco by Alba Fabre Sacristán, inaugurated in September 2023, rue Saint André in Brussels.
Practical information: Chantal Akerman exhibition. Travelling. From March 14 to July 21, 2024, at Bozar in Brusselsthen from September 27, 2024 to January 19, 2025 at the Jeu de Paume in Paris.
Note the release of the exhibition book (co-edition Bozar Books – JDP / Lannoo), as well as the written work of Chantal Akerman in 3 volumes, and finally the recent publication of a book, still by Capricci, devoted to Delphine Seyrig, DELPHINE SEYRIG, IN CONSTRUCTIONS by Jean-Marc Lalanne.