Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)

7.5Not Rated201 minDirector: Chantal Akerman

1975 film by Chantal Akerman

Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles is a 1975 art film written and directed by Chantal Akerman, and starring Delphine Seyrig. Distinguished by its long takes, static camerawork, and slice-of-life depiction of domestic labor, the film follows the routine of a widowed mother (Seyrig) over three days.

Jeanne Dielman was shot over five weeks on location in Brussels, and financed through a $120,000 grant awarded by the Belgian government. It had its world premiere at the Directors' Fortnight section of the 1975 Cannes Film Festival on 22 May, and it was theatrically released in France on 21 January 1976, where it was met with polarized reviews.

In the following decades, Jeanne Dielman gained exposure and reappraisal alongside Akerman’s body of work, becoming a cult classic. Labelled as a feminist film and an early example of the slow cinema genre, it is now considered to be one of the greatest films ever made. In 2022, it placed first in the decennial critics' poll published by the British Film Institute's magazine Sight and Sound.

Plot summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

FAQ

What is Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles about?
Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975) — Jeanne Dielman, a lonely young widow, lives with her son Sylvain following an immutable order: while the boy is in school, she cares for their apartment, does chores, and receives clients in the afternoon.
Is Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles based on a true story?
See the production background and source material details on the official Wikipedia article.
Is Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles scary?
Content rating: Not Rated. See the reviews tab for parental guidance and tone notes.