Je Tu Il Elle (1985)Movies

A film that capitalizes on the mesmeric quality of monotony, particularly during the first of the three sections it’s broadly divided into, and what’s more, Akerman knows just how to punctuate stasis to reinforce engagement with it. During our protagonist’s self-imposed solitude in a shabby, empty studio apartment, slow fades to black not only emphasize the passage of time, but somehow feel momentous in and of themselves, and our protagonist’s actions lagging slightly behind her narration create these brief spells of anticipation, however inconsequential what she’s about to do is (put on clothes, eat a spoonful of sugar from a paper bag, poor the sugar out on the floor, etc). It’s smartly deployed tedium, through which Akerman studies lonesomeness,...