News from Home (1977)

Chantal Akerman, the Belgian filmmaker, lives in New York. Filmed images of the City are accompanied by the texts of Chantal Akerman's loving but manipulative mother back home in Brussels. ... See full summary »

Director:

Chantal Akerman

Writer:

Chantal Akerman

Stars:

Chantal Akerman

Cast

Credited cast:
Chantal Akerman	...	(voice)

Storyline

Chantal Akerman, the Belgian filmmaker, lives in New York. Filmed images of the City are accompanied by the texts of Chantal Akerman's loving but manipulative mother back home in Brussels. The City comes more and more to the front while the words of the mother, read by Akerman herself, gradually fade away.

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Plot Keywords:

city | new york | mother daughter relationship | voice | family relationships | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

World Artists

Country:

France Belgium West Germany

Language:

French

Release Date:

8 June 1977 (France)

Also Known As:

Briefe von zu Haus

Filming Locations:

Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Institut National de l'Audiovisuel (INA), Paradise Films, Unité Trois

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastman Color)

User Reviews

Another intriguing experiment from the wonderful Chantal Akerman

Chantal Akerman is arguably the most important and interesting female director of her era, yet she is sadly under-known here in the U.S. The range of her work is astounding, from largely experimental 'difficult' works like this, to frothy musical-comedy, to dark, thoughtful dramas, and just about everything in between. I'm so glad Criterion is finally putting out much of her early work.

As for this film, it's an interesting experiment, if far from Akerman's most important.

It's all images of New York City, mostly still at first, with ever more movement as it goes along. The soundtrack is all letters to Ackerman from her mother in France being read aloud over the images. Odd as it sounds, it easily held my attention, though never really got emotionally involving. Once again, Akerman's city images are great, evoking Edward Hopper's paintings. But both the images and overall impact seem less powerful to me than Akerman's somewhat similar - and to my taste far better -- 'Hotel Monterey'.

However with this kind of experimental film, everyone is likely to react differently, and I'd urge you to see it for yourself.