Chantal Akerman: A Unique Visionary

Anthony C. Francis
3 min readJul 15, 2024

--

In this male-dominated business women filmmakers have always been too small a minority. There is certainly progress being made, but women’s voices continue to deserve better recognition in the cinema communities.

Filmmaker Chantal Akerman was one of the best at turning the traditional narrative on its head; a skill that is evident in perhaps her best known work, 1975’s Jeanne Dielman, 23 Qai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles. This notable film follows a single mother’s day-to-day regime playing out over the course of three full days, from mundane everyday tasks (cooking and cleaning, etc.), to the more unusual routine of prostituting herself to a single client to keep her and her young son in room, board, and food. The mother’s life is thrown off its axis on day two after she drops a spoon and burns potatoes; a seemingly inconsequential occurrence, but one that becomes the catalyst to an unexpectedly powerful denouement.

While I have never been enamored of the film as a whole (although I respect what the director was trying to do), the picture is important to cinema history in several ways. It brought Akerman universal respect amongst arthouse film critics worldwide, it allowed her the freedom to make films on her terms (almost unheard of for a female director in the 70s), and it was one of the only films at the time to have an entirely female crew.

Akerman would make many good films throughout her career until her death by suicide in 2015. Some of her best include, The Meetings Of Anna (1978) a powerful look at determination and isolation in a male business, Night and Day (1991) a darkly-humorous take on modern relationships, and the excellent La Captive (2000), a brave and rather brilliant modern day retooling of Marcel Proust’s classic tale.

I have always been struck by Akerman’s sly sense of humor, unapologetic frankness, and pure unfiltered honesty towards the portrayal of women in film. There never is a false moment or an unearned emotion in the creation of her characters.

Akerman once said she believes she “had a better knowledge of womanly anxieties than most filmmakers. My grandparents and mother were sent to Auschwitz, with only my mother returning.” To that end, a mother’s anxiety is the common thread that connects her best works.

My favorite Chantal Akerman film is Night and Day from 1991, a terrific character study of a woman who is in love/lust with two men. One she sees in the daytime, one at night. Certainly her most accessible picture, Akerman’s script is infused with wry humor, but the story is a carefully calculated examination of sexuality and the craziness of attraction.

At her best, Chantal Akerman is as good as Truffaut in her examinations of the human condition and how women and men navigate through relationships. If you are not familiar with her filmography, seek out this wonderful and important filmmaker.

--

--

Anthony C. Francis

Passionate about cinema. Film Critic at WAFCA —Washington, DC Area Film Critics Association Film Critic & historian- ScreenComment.com and TheMovieRevue.com