News from Home (1977)

Recently, one of my fellow bloggers (as well as film analyst) talked about the age old gripe that Ozu's cinema is slow. He argues that the slowness felt in Ozu's films is "closer to the grammar of classic film style, the study deliberate quality and the quiet stateliness joining in deep harmony with the themes". While my opinion of Ozu is similar, I would also find other filmmakers that fit well within this comment. One specifically being Chantal Akerman. Having just discovered, and enjoyed, the three-hour, nearly monotonous, Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, I knew that Ackerman's style was polished, detailed, and camera-driven. Meaning, that she relied on the camera to discover the discover the nuances of day to day in the life of Ms. Dielman. News from Home, a pseudo-documentary involving letters from her mother along a backdrop of late 1970s New York City, Akerman again leaves the camera running, at times with nothing more than the people of NYC staring deeply into the lens, and the result is one of the most honest images of a great city, a time capsule for the future, and a true portrait of family.

Beginning in the early hours of the morning, lasting until the sun finally sets, Akerman's camera takes us to all the famous locations, and in a brief 85 minutes provides more emotion, more insight into her life than your average modern documentary.
News from Home begins with a long, strolling camera shot into the inhabited streets of an overpopulated city. The 1970s images slowly come into frame as the "city that never sleeps" emerges from the unknown accompanied by Akerman reading letters from her mother informing us that she misses her daughter as she has just arrived to this foreign land. As the film progresses, the style doesn't change, Akerman takes the subway, takes us to Times Square, takes us to 5th Avenue, but instead of narrating throughout, merely allows the camera to show us time, date, style, and structure. What would seem like one boring shot after the next, slowly becomes relate-able to the "reality" mind. We cannot help but watch those sitting down on the Metro, those passing by on the streets, our eyes focus in to those living their lives as Akerman merely places her camera directly in front of traffic. Clothing, sounds, cars, marketing, dirt, and trash all compose her image of NYC, and the worry of separating from her family rises to the surface. As Akerman reads her letters, the images coupled with the words, speak further than just an over-manipulative mother always asking when her daughter will return, but the daily flight of anyone leaving the coop for the first time into a bohemian city. Even today, in 2011, the nervousness inside of mother's voice coupled with being lost in a sea of people feel relevant and utterly frightening.

Jen mentioned while watching this slice of history that if she was older during this time in the 70s, she would have traveled to NYC. What makes News from Home more detailed than today's images of New York City is how real this city feels. In modern cinema, NYC is always bright, it is always clean, there is a awe of glamor around every turn, but with Ackerman, the focus is on the truth, and during this time, New York City wasn't pretty. It wasn't like watching episodes of "Sex & the City", but instead trash littered the streets, graffiti was too popular, and the less-glossed truth became clear. It felt tired. It felt used. It felt nowhere close to modern. Akerman captured a habitable city, not the monolith of culture. That is what drew me into this film. Akerman's lingering camera captures everything, and it is impressive to see the honesty that it produces.

A big part of this film are the letters that Akerman reads. As the images of NYC swirl around us, nearly engulfing our attention away from the words brought to us from another place. These letters are important to digest, because it gives us a personal glimpse into Akerman's world, into her family dynamic, and her decision to leave the "nest" and take strides on her own. With infrequency happening between letters, a pressuring mother continually asks why she hasn't returned home yet, combating these dreams with the reality that home life is a mixed bag of joy and heartbreak. As we are granted access into some of her mother's deepest worries and feelings. This adds a full-course of realism to this film. As I watched, I couldn't help but remember the first time I left the house, the quickness of my first letters home only to find months later, as my life eventually took shape, that my letters home became less and less frequent. That is what we watch here, and despite the 1970s time, the realism of what Akerman is doing (documenting her steps into her life), the overall message and what Akerman chose to accomplish was successful. It is a timeless film, and despite the Ozu pacing of this film, there is a point to the length of scenes. It gives us a date between letters (the long the scene we begin to feel Akerman's growth personally) and even without seeing Akerman at all, we are shown her levels of growth. How do you watch a subject grow without showing the subject? Watch News from Home to see this technique in action!

As I wrap my thoughts on this film, I applaud Criterion's sister set, Eclipse, for releasing this obscure title. What would have otherwise fallen into obscurity, finally has a life to breath as others discover this set and the compassionate voice that Akerman defiantly showed in the 70s. Dielman is the voice of femininity, while this is the voice of age and trust. As I watched this film, I couldn't help but wonder if anyone realized who they were being filmed by, and if they even realize they are in an Akerman film. Were they just witnessing another potential film dropout point a camera, or did some of them realize that perhaps they were becoming a part of film history? Watching these ghosts walk by (as many of them are probably dead), it changes the perspective of what our lives look like. News from Home is unlike any documentary that you will watch, and Akerman's artistic style is relevant from the beginning. The choices made, the images shown, the letters read accomplish something very few filmmakers have done, which is give us emotion without a person. Her camera work is outstanding (several images feel like 60s Godard with the colors and realism), and the overall product is amazing.

Akerman has again impressed me, giving this film a green mark with blue stars. I will watch this movie again and definitely suggest it to friends and family. Do not miss this haunting tale of family and uncertainty. Witness the birth of one of our greatest filmmakers. Enjoy, I am off to another Eclipse. This is already shaping up to be a great journey!