Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles

"Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles" is a film that will certainly not be everyone's cup of tea-it's really only for those interested in the process of the water boiling and the tea leaves steeping. At 201 minutes, the film consists only of static tripod shots, intricately composed to showcase the apartment of Jeanne Dielman and the life she leads within it. These shots --
long, often lasting the span of minutes -- examine the quotidian activities of its title character (Delphine Seyrig). We watch her turn lights on and off, prepare dinners, clean, attempt conversation with her son, and even turn a daily trick in order to make ends meet. It's all so mundane, yet purposefully so, and throughout the film's three-and-a-half hours it accomplishes a stunning feat of hypnotic fixation and philosophical rumination.

For me, it came while Jeanne was making meatloaf.

The 1975 film, by the late Chantal Akerman, is singular and revolutionary. Its visual compositions turn space and time into a platform for experimental examination of life's greatest banalities and how they shape us. As the movie progresses, we learn about Jeanne through the nuances in her behavior, and we can map out her entire apartment by memory. The film plunges us into her life, sacrificing widely-used cinematic elements of editing and camera movement for something far more focused on meticulous scrutiny.

With its new 2K digital restoration being released through the Criterion Collection, the film's visuals and sound palette have never been better, further enhancing the mesmerizing entrapment the film is likely to cause. Among the bonus features is a documentary "Autour de 'Jeanne Dielman,'" which was made during the production of the film, interviews with Akerman and cinematographer Babette Mangolte, and excerpts from television interviews with Akerman and actress Delphine Seyrig. As an extra treat, the surplus material also includes Akerman's first film, 1968's "Saute ma ville," with an introduction from the director herself.

"Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles"
Criterion Collection Blu-ray
$31.96
https://www.criterion.com/films/302-jeanne-dielman-23-quai-du-commerce-1080-bruxelles