Watches
October 15, 2023
Quite a bit shorter than Akerman's more infamous Jeanne Dieleman, but just as slow and challenging. Even more so for me, as we're talking about a documentary here, that deals with Akerman's personal relationship with her mother. The things that pass are very pedestrian, which may feel intimate for some, but created quite a distance for me.
Akerman narrates letters that her mother wrote her when she was living in New York. They show a typical motherly love for a daughter, but also underhand manipulations that seek more control over a life that isn't hers. Meanwhile, Akerman shows grainy shots of New York, going about its daily business.
There's a love for transport, for some reason or another, though I couldn't figure out how it related to the letters. Then again, I didn't even get how the footage and the narration were supposed to connect. Though less than 90 minutes long, it's still a real hassle to sit through when neither the form nor the drama speaks to you.