Chantal Akerman's News from Home (1977)

 

Chantal Akerman's News from Home is based on the 1971-73 period Akerman spent in New York, although the English-language Wikipedia at the time of writing claims that most of the photography to make this film was made in the summer of 1976: after Akerman had achieved success with Jeanne Dielman, and adds that the sound was added later. Furthermore, at the time of writing the French Wikipédia makes no mention of this, although it seems highly plausible that sounds were added later as they seem very much subdued to me, although – a different issue this one – some observers of the film have noted that the French voiceover is often inaudible due to background noise.

The vast majority of the film consists of long still shots, although – especially in the last third of the film – there are pans to the left and tracking shots following the streets of New York. Some shots are obviously taken from cars, trains (the sound of the motor being very evident), and finally from the Manhattan-Staten Island ferry (sound obviously severely subdued). To Akerman's enormous credit, we do not see any New York tourist attractions, not even the Statue of Liberty.

From a beginning of almost empty streets, the long shots tentatively move to characters in sparcely-populated neighbourhoods (or of course way out of rush hour), to busy streets with crowds, from still shots taken at the entrances to little-frequented subway lines to much-frequented lines, the subjects often glancing, less frequently staring, at the camera. The last take is a long shot of the Manhattan-Staten Island ferry, mercifully without the Statue of Liberty.

Chantal Akerman's voiceover is the reading of her mother's many letters from her Brussels's home to her daughter, telling of family events, trips, problems, informing her daughter of clothing and money that has been sent to her, hoping she'd received everything, wishing her well in learning English, repeatedly urging her to write more. Taken as a whole, the film reads as much as a love letter to Akerman's mother as a love letter to New York. And there are only impartial statements here.