*Although the review only technically includes spoilers, considering the film has no actual plot, the review may take something away from the experience*
Chantal Akerman is one of the greatest experimental filmmakers of all time. "Jeanne Dielman" has become one of my favorite films, and I really liked "Hotel Monterey". Her films are normally very, very slow, and they attract a very specific audiences. Of course, I am part of the audience that Chantal Akerman's films attract, so I was very interested in seeing this film.
It has been on my watch list for some time, and I was very glad to finally watch it. Was it good? Yes! It is a great experimental film, and the best Akerman film I've seen since "Jeanne Dielman".
The concept, itself, is quite interesting to begin with. Chantal Akerman reads letters sent to her by her money, against images of daily New York city life. These letters from home, eventually, start becoming obscured by the loud noises of city life. This could be considered symbolism of Akerman's own personal response to these letters that have been given to her. This, clearly, makes "News from Home" Chantal Akerman's most personal work.
The actual images of New York city life are very well shot, themselves. If this film was absent of the narration, it'd still be a quite interesting portrait of city life, although that would make the film a bit less interesting. Every single image is beautiful and interesting, especially the last 10 minute long shot pulling away from a NYC dock.
Although it's a great film, there are flaws. At times, some of the shots, when absent of narration, run on a bit too long. Sometimes I even found myself zoning out, thinking about other things. If Akerman trimmed down some of these scenes, the film would've been a bit better and easier for me to view.
While other Akerman films may be far more influential (including the previously mentioned films "Hotel Monterey" and "Jeanne Dielman"), this is still a great film for Akerman fans! If you like slow cinema and the other works of Chantal Akerman, I highly recommend you watch this movie. However, it is a film that isn't for most audiences, so if you're just some guy who likes movies, you will probably not like this movie very much.
Chantal Akerman is one of the greatest experimental filmmakers of all time. "Jeanne Dielman" has become one of my favorite films, and I really liked "Hotel Monterey". Her films are normally very, very slow, and they attract a very specific audiences. Of course, I am part of the audience that Chantal Akerman's films attract, so I was very interested in seeing this film.
It has been on my watch list for some time, and I was very glad to finally watch it. Was it good? Yes! It is a great experimental film, and the best Akerman film I've seen since "Jeanne Dielman".
The concept, itself, is quite interesting to begin with. Chantal Akerman reads letters sent to her by her money, against images of daily New York city life. These letters from home, eventually, start becoming obscured by the loud noises of city life. This could be considered symbolism of Akerman's own personal response to these letters that have been given to her. This, clearly, makes "News from Home" Chantal Akerman's most personal work.
The actual images of New York city life are very well shot, themselves. If this film was absent of the narration, it'd still be a quite interesting portrait of city life, although that would make the film a bit less interesting. Every single image is beautiful and interesting, especially the last 10 minute long shot pulling away from a NYC dock.
Although it's a great film, there are flaws. At times, some of the shots, when absent of narration, run on a bit too long. Sometimes I even found myself zoning out, thinking about other things. If Akerman trimmed down some of these scenes, the film would've been a bit better and easier for me to view.
While other Akerman films may be far more influential (including the previously mentioned films "Hotel Monterey" and "Jeanne Dielman"), this is still a great film for Akerman fans! If you like slow cinema and the other works of Chantal Akerman, I highly recommend you watch this movie. However, it is a film that isn't for most audiences, so if you're just some guy who likes movies, you will probably not like this movie very much.