Jeanne Dielman...
Jeanne Dielman, 1080 Brussels, 23 Merchant Street is still considered a masterpiece and a pioneer of feminist cinema. After its premiere in Cannes in 1975, a critic called Louis Marcorelles described it as "the first female masterpiece in the history of cinema". In the British Film Institute's 2022 poll, it was voted the best film ever made. Despite the accolades, the 200-minute film, originally divided into two parts, is now being released in Hungary for the first time by Cirko Film.
Schedule
The film follows a widowed mother's busy schedule of cooking, cleaning, raising children and running errands over three days. The woman (whose name, Jeanne Dielman, is revealed only by the title and a letter read out) makes a living by seeing a different client every afternoon at her apartment before her son returns home from school. For Jeanne, sex work is part of her daily routine.
On the second day, after the visit of the current client, Jeanne's disciplined behaviour changes. While preparing dinner, she overcooks the potatoes and then wanders around the apartment in a confused state. Her strange behaviour continues until the third day, when her client of the day arrives.
cirko-gejzír mozi
One of Europe's smallest independent cinemas, run by the Cirko Film-Másképp Foundation. As they noted, "We are committed to making available works whose distribution is not linked to any commercial purpose, while promoting quality culture and the circulation of European values and culture."