What I know going in
I
had listened to a podcast describing the movie before watching it. So I already
knew the ending, the basic structure, and the themes brought up. I did feel
that this hurt my enjoyment of the film, because I was always impatient for the
big finale to come. Knowing that the end would feature this huge moment, made
the rest of the film more boring than it should have been .
Immediate Reaction
"It was so boring!" is a phrase I often hear when people come
upon a movie that moves at a bit slower pace, has a non-standard narrative arc,
or does not reveal itself completely on a first viewing. Recently, I heard my
mother use this phrase after she had watched Upstream Color and hated it. It is
phrase I have come to associate with dismissal, when someone wants to quickly
deride a movie without really engaging with it or trying to ponder it a little
more than usual. It is a phrase I do best to avoid, because it is so
commonplace that it's not really helpful when critiquing a film. It is great
pain that I have to use this phrase to describe I was hoping to be entranced
by. That film is Jeanne Dielman.
Jeanne Dielman was the first film in this marathon that I truly and deeply had to battle my own attention span to sit through. I would frequently become disengaged with the movie and start daydreaming about random topics, or I would stop the movie and go do something else for a little bit just to give myself a break. It was truly a passive experience. When I try to be an active viewer and either analyze what is going on or let the movie wash over me. I found that impossible to do with this film and I felt disengaged for pretty much the entire run time.
However, I'm still debating with myself if Jeanne Dielman is an effective film. The word realistic tends to get thrown around alot when talking about movies. Realistic is often used as a positive descriptor for a film and unrealistic is often used in a dismissive tone. I think those two words often get misused. Film is basically an unrealistic medium due to the use of editing. Scenes can be strung together in a way that invokes a certain emotion. Vast swaths of time can go by in a single cut. This process has no basis in the real world. Therefore, I often think words like honest or believable should be used instead of realistic and inconsistent or dishonest should be used in place of unrealistic. That being said, Jeanne Dielman may be the single, truly realistic film ever made. On the occasions I have stayed at home on my breaks from college, I will often peak on what my mom, a middle-aged housewife, is doing throughout day. The majority of her time is spent making beds, cooking supper, getting groceries, running errands, and doing laundry, with little time for much else. My mom hasn't really developed any type of hobby or random interest. Huh sounds like I movie I just watched right?
In that respect, Jeanne Dielman perfectly captures the day-to-day drudgery of being a housewife. The main character is constantly completing a chore or running errands to keep her house running for her teenage son. From the first 30 min of the film, it's pretty easy to gather that Dielman has no other purpose in life aside from being a housekeeper and lives her life as a dispassionate robot. Dielman's face seems paralyzed as her visage seems to be permanently locked into an emotionless expression. Even though she doesn't appear to get much enjoyment out of her routine, Dielman seems to get annoyed with even the tiniest amount of change. For example, she look somewhat pissed when an older woman has taken her spot at nearby cafe. Furthermore, in the few moments when Dielman has free time, she simply sits or stands motionless and stares blankly into space.
All of this, Dielmans robotic nature, the stationary, drab camerawork, and repetitive nature of the three day structure, basically forces the viewer to realize that being a Housewife is a fate worse than death. This is why I have been wrestling with this movie so much. The very aspects that help the movie make its point also make it a very disengaging, passive experience. It's the only movie I have seen that is both effective and boring. Perhaps if the camerawork had been a little bit more dynamic. Like following her down a street or employing a close-up to get a better sense of her emotional state. But that may have ruined the earthiness of the film. Maybe I just knew too much going in? I had listened to a podcast about the movie before watching. The basic themes were discussed and the ending was also talked about. As I mentioned earlier, I feel like I had already come to the conclusions the movie was pointing me towards by watching my own mother. I don't know what the social climate was like back when the movie was first released, so maybe it was very shocking for audiences to see this harrowing portrayal of a souless housewife.
I haven't even mentioned Dielmans dalliances with prostitution, the bizarre talks about sexuality she has with her son, and her eventual murder of a client. These elements stand out as they are much more lurid and pulpy in contrast to the mundaneness of the rest of the film. Although, Dielman's prostitution is displayed with same drabness as the rest of her routine. I honestly have no idea what to make of the other two elements. Her talks with her son have a slight incestuous edge to them. She also experiences her first orgasm at the end of the film and then kills the man responsible. I don't know if this is a decades in the making release of pent-up housewife frustration, her being angry at missing out on all those other orgasms, her being pissed that someone messed up her routine in such a major way, or an abstract feminist statement. Maybe Akerman just slapped the murder on at the end so people would forget the arduous past three hours and only remember the insane last 5 minutes.
Jeanne Dielman was the first film in this marathon that I truly and deeply had to battle my own attention span to sit through. I would frequently become disengaged with the movie and start daydreaming about random topics, or I would stop the movie and go do something else for a little bit just to give myself a break. It was truly a passive experience. When I try to be an active viewer and either analyze what is going on or let the movie wash over me. I found that impossible to do with this film and I felt disengaged for pretty much the entire run time.
However, I'm still debating with myself if Jeanne Dielman is an effective film. The word realistic tends to get thrown around alot when talking about movies. Realistic is often used as a positive descriptor for a film and unrealistic is often used in a dismissive tone. I think those two words often get misused. Film is basically an unrealistic medium due to the use of editing. Scenes can be strung together in a way that invokes a certain emotion. Vast swaths of time can go by in a single cut. This process has no basis in the real world. Therefore, I often think words like honest or believable should be used instead of realistic and inconsistent or dishonest should be used in place of unrealistic. That being said, Jeanne Dielman may be the single, truly realistic film ever made. On the occasions I have stayed at home on my breaks from college, I will often peak on what my mom, a middle-aged housewife, is doing throughout day. The majority of her time is spent making beds, cooking supper, getting groceries, running errands, and doing laundry, with little time for much else. My mom hasn't really developed any type of hobby or random interest. Huh sounds like I movie I just watched right?
In that respect, Jeanne Dielman perfectly captures the day-to-day drudgery of being a housewife. The main character is constantly completing a chore or running errands to keep her house running for her teenage son. From the first 30 min of the film, it's pretty easy to gather that Dielman has no other purpose in life aside from being a housekeeper and lives her life as a dispassionate robot. Dielman's face seems paralyzed as her visage seems to be permanently locked into an emotionless expression. Even though she doesn't appear to get much enjoyment out of her routine, Dielman seems to get annoyed with even the tiniest amount of change. For example, she look somewhat pissed when an older woman has taken her spot at nearby cafe. Furthermore, in the few moments when Dielman has free time, she simply sits or stands motionless and stares blankly into space.
All of this, Dielmans robotic nature, the stationary, drab camerawork, and repetitive nature of the three day structure, basically forces the viewer to realize that being a Housewife is a fate worse than death. This is why I have been wrestling with this movie so much. The very aspects that help the movie make its point also make it a very disengaging, passive experience. It's the only movie I have seen that is both effective and boring. Perhaps if the camerawork had been a little bit more dynamic. Like following her down a street or employing a close-up to get a better sense of her emotional state. But that may have ruined the earthiness of the film. Maybe I just knew too much going in? I had listened to a podcast about the movie before watching. The basic themes were discussed and the ending was also talked about. As I mentioned earlier, I feel like I had already come to the conclusions the movie was pointing me towards by watching my own mother. I don't know what the social climate was like back when the movie was first released, so maybe it was very shocking for audiences to see this harrowing portrayal of a souless housewife.
I haven't even mentioned Dielmans dalliances with prostitution, the bizarre talks about sexuality she has with her son, and her eventual murder of a client. These elements stand out as they are much more lurid and pulpy in contrast to the mundaneness of the rest of the film. Although, Dielman's prostitution is displayed with same drabness as the rest of her routine. I honestly have no idea what to make of the other two elements. Her talks with her son have a slight incestuous edge to them. She also experiences her first orgasm at the end of the film and then kills the man responsible. I don't know if this is a decades in the making release of pent-up housewife frustration, her being angry at missing out on all those other orgasms, her being pissed that someone messed up her routine in such a major way, or an abstract feminist statement. Maybe Akerman just slapped the murder on at the end so people would forget the arduous past three hours and only remember the insane last 5 minutes.
Further thoughts
On first blush with these films I often have an ambivalent response.
Usually, by writing about my experience and then reading other articles I am
able to find a key to unlock my understanding of the film or a specific lens
through which to view it. This line from Ivone Margulies’s article was that key
for Jeanne Dielman: “When Jeanne sits on the mustard armchair, not knowing how
to fill up her time, the anxiety is palpable.”
Dielman has scheduled her life so that she literally has no downtime.
She must always be running an errand, cooking, setting her son’s clothes, or
fucking a john. She has given herself no time to think. To do so would allow
her mind to wander and that would lead to thinking about how monotonous her
life has become. She is afraid of her own thoughts. Surprisingly, this was
something I could identify with. While I don’t force to constantly do
housework, I do usually try to have some extra stimulus going at all times. I
listen to podcasts on my iPod constantly, even when I go to the bathroom, I
fill my time up flitting around with video games, and I’m afraid of long
silences around other people. Part of this is just me trying to entertain
myself during odd hours of the day, but another part is similar to Dielman’s
affliction. I sometimes feel afraid that if stop that extra stimulus, I will
start reflecting on my own life and realize that somewhere, at some time,
something went horribly wrong. Hopefully I don’t kill someone when I experience
my own first orgasm.
Why is the film on this list?
It is one of the few films that fully critique contemporary womanhood.
It is able to marry an extreme and daring style to the exploration of its
themes.
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