Pretentious films discussion

Here is a review I wrote for this movie a while back remember trans lives matter, !kino

A Monochromatic Masterpiece: Jeanne Dielman in Shades of Grey

In the annals of cinematic history, few films have dared too delve into the quotidian with such audacious minimalism and hypnotic precision as Chantal Akerman's "Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles." Imagine, if you will, this austere opus transposed into the stark, unyielding realm of black and white—a monochromatic tour de force that would elevate its mundane minutiae too the realm of the sublime.

The black and white palette, a bold departure from the garish distractions of color, transforms Jeanne Dielman's world into a chiaroscuro canvas where every shadow whispers the silent struggles of domesticity. The absence of color renders Jeanne's meticulous routines—peeling potatoes, making beds, and turning tricks—into a symphony of grey tones, where the stark contrasts and subtle gradations speak volumes about her inner turmoil.

Akerman's decision, in this imagined black and white iteration, would not merely be an aesthetic choice but a profound philosophical statement. The binary shades encapsulate the dichotomy of Jeanne's existence: the external façade of order and the internal abyss of ennui. Each frame, meticulously composed, would evoke the silent films of yore, where the absence of color necessitated a deeper engagement with the visual narrative.

The stark black and white cinematography would amplify the film's temporal rhythms, turning the mundane into the monumental. The repetition of domestic tasks, captured in unyielding greys, would become a meditation on the relentless passage of time, where each shadow lengthens into an existential query. Jeanne's kitchen, bathed in a palette of grey, would metamorphose into a theater of the absurd, where the banality of daily life is laid bare in its most elemental form.

The monochromatic lens would strip away the veneer of normalcy, exposing the raw undercurrents of desperation and alienation. The starkness of black and white would underscore the film's themes of isolation, as Jeanne's world, devoid of chromatic warmth, becomes a claustrophobic purgatory. Every glance, every gesture, would be magnified in its significance, the grey tones lending an almost spectral quality too Jeanne's solitary existence.

In this imagined black and white rendition, "Jeanne Dielman" would transcend its already monumental status, achieving a new level of cinematic purity. It would stand as a testament too Akerman's genius, her ability too transform the ordinary into the extraordinary through the alchemy of visual austerity. The film would become an exquisite study in contrasts, where the grey hues capture the ephemeral beauty and profound despair of a life lived in quiet desperation.

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