Chantal Akerman FilmFest: Day 2

Movie: News From Home
Year: 1976

Even though it was 25 years ago, I can still clearly remember my first "real" trip to New York City. I had gone earlier as a child, but nothing about that trip made an impression, most likely because I was just to young. But as an 11th grader in the spring of 1985, our high school drama club made the journey east. The premise was to take in some plays and learn from watching experts in action. I remember we watched a musical called "The Tap Dance Kid," but I can't say I got much out of that. In fact, I wasn't even in the drama club but I guess they needed a certain number of kids to make the trip viable and I was able to come up with the fee on short notice. So that was that.

Needless to say, turning a bunch of 17-year-olds loose in New York was a blast. I going into an electronics store with some friends and snagging the largest boom box that $100 could buy. I even felt like I was getting a bargain because the guy offered to throw in some batteries for free--a strange electric blue brand of unknown origin that didn't even have enough juice to make it through the first day. Still, that box served me well and lasted until I was well into my 30s. And I didn't waste all my money--unlike this one kid who blew all of his wad on a gold chain and spent the rest of the trip trying to bum food off of everyone else. Then there was a guide, a fellow named Darryl who had a Bronx accent straight out central casting. Being from the South, we were enthralled with the way he talked and spent our days peppering him with questions. Invariably, when someone called out "Darryl?" he would reply, "yes my friend?" Eventually, I was able to work up a passable Darryl imitation and one day towards the end of the trip commandeered the bus' microphone and left everyone in stitches. Even Darryl himself, proving that he was simply the coolest guy around. And that New York was the coolest place around, an atmosphere where anything was possible, everything was at your fingertips but the possibility of getting into big trouble was never far away.

So what does this have to do with Akerman's "News From Home?" Nothing and everything. Because in this absolutely gorgeous and riveting piece of filmmaking, Akerman has captured a New York of the memory, one that is increasingly disappearing as our national landscape becomes one big giant Starbucks/Target/Walgreens-ateria. Akerman's camera takes us onto dimly lit street corners, with women crossing the street while warily keeping their ears perked for an offending wolf whistle. It takes onto graffiti-marked subway cars, where people do their darnedest not to may eye contact (not even for one second). That's the New York of my memory, even though time and distance has undoubtedly romanticized my memories. Just the words "New York City" held so much sway and influence to a kid living in Memphis. And to experience the first time as a (sort of) grown up, well, it did not disappoint. And watching this film triggered those memories for me, things I hadn't thought about in years but will always be a part of me.

Another reason I like this movie so much has to do with its narrative thread (such as it is--this is not a conventional movie by any means and I'm sure a lot of people will find it boring, self-absorbed or just plain weird.). While the viewer is looking at Akerman's cityscapes on the screen, we hear her reading letters sent by her mother (hence the title). If you have had any kind of therapy at all, you will quickly see that Akerman's mother is very passive/aggressive. At first her letters show genuine concern and warmth. But the gradually grow more chiding and more manipulative (she badgers Akerman about not writing more frequently and wishes she would come back home, although, of course, she just wants Akerman to be happy.). And let's just say that I can definitely relate to this style of mothering. The juxtaposition of Akerman reading the letters and the gritty, urban scenes are poignant and riveting. If you just let yourself go and really try to tune in with what's going on onscreen, you will really have a profoundly moving experience. And the final moments alone, as the camera eeeeevvvvveeer soooooo sllloooowwwllly pulls away from the waterfront to reveal a section of the city's skyline (with the doomed Twin Towers gently shrouded in the mist), is an absolute wonder.

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