Written by: Chantal Akerman, Eric de Kuyper, Paul Paquay
Starring: Chantal Akerman, Niels Arestrup, Claire Wauthion
Rating: [3/5]
Films often capture their subjects in motion with something pivotal happening in their lives, which makes sense given that will most likely render an entertaining story to follow. Capturing the mundanity may allow for something insightful but does not usually make for the most compelling narrative. With that said, Je Tu Il Elle still manages to capture something through its simplicity, as we gain an insight to its character in ways that often do not appear in films. Not the surprise when knowing it’s a Chantal Akerman film.
Appearing in her room, just rearranging furniture and pondering a recent break-up, Julie (Chantal Akerman) for long stretches of the day eats sugar out of a brown paper bag in all out depression. After, she decides to go somewhere where she encounters a man with plenty on his mind.
Watching a Chantal Akerman film truly has no match in her distinct style that will certainly try the patience of the average moviegoer but when sticking with it, some beautiful truths expose themselves in the way she captures her characters. Something raw that does not get covered up by the sheen of a flashy story but rather incredibly raw and real to a breathtaking degree. She very much does that in this feature to a lesser degree when compared to her masterpiece Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles. However, Je Tu Il Elle serves as her feature film debut, so we can provide some grace when looking at her first attempt at making this stick.
When observing Julie’s emotional state throughout this feature, it hinges on elements out of her control such as the love others have for her. She has nothing necessarily going for her at this moment, which has the first third of this film displaying her just moving furniture around and eating sugar. Quite the mood if you ask me, but it captures something deeply human about how we act behind closed doors when no one watches and has plenty on our mind. I have found myself in a similar circumstance when thinking on major things and just walking around trying to find things to do and grabbing an occasional snack. While not necessarily eating pure sugar out of a bag, it displays something innately human. Whether an audience member finds this particularly compelling remains their opinion.
As she gets to the second and third act, we move away from the solitude of her apartment and now with interactions involving others and how they play into this particular moment in her life. The one she has with the driver (Niels Arestrup) and the woman believed to be her ex-lover (Claire Wauthion) display various differences in the ways Akerman wants to present men and women in this story. Both nameless characters even with their significance to the story, the way Julie acts says plenty about her perspective on them. One involves mostly talking, while the other mostly remains physical in an unadulterated manner. Reading into what she has to say about them also comes down to the individual viewer.
Being forced into reading into the story remains Chantal Akerman’s calling card as a filmmaker, as she refuses to even do the most remote hand holding for the audience. She allows us to take what we need from the experiences her characters go through and take it with us. This happens here in Julie’s journey where we experience her life in her loneliness, passivity, and also her most carnal. Many have found themselves in these circumstances in life allowing us to connect with this character not in ways dialogue would have us do but rather feeling it for ourselves.
Saying a Chantal Akerman film is enjoyable doesn’t fit as an apt description but it does present something wholly unique, which makes her filmmaking something vital. I ultimately admire this feature more than I necessarily like but it serves as the foundation for what she will make in the future, which demonstrates her working at her absolute apex. With this feature, we have her finding her feet and voice as a filmmaker, which still renders something fascinating to take in as she sets the tone for what more we can expect from her.
Films with Josh 
