I just realized this will be my first movie in my letterboxd this month and I'm loving these. I first saw “the meetings of anna” in may, and since then I’ve watched 3 more of akerman’s films, read more about her biography and its influence on her works, so I noticed several recurring themes that carry over from chantal’s movie to movie: the study of human everyday life, as well as freedom and attempts to find it, reflection on the relationship with the mother. and, of course, all this to some extent affects this movie, so when I watched it for the second time, I perceived it a little differently, knowing the context.
this movie leaves me speechless every time, it feels like no matter what I write it won't be enough to convey how I feel about it. at first I watched it rather detached, but by the middle I was completely emotionally immersed in what was happening and felt an inexplicable closeness to it, especially in the scenes on the train, they are so alive. It also so personal. so much so that even intimate scenes are perceived in it exclusively as a moment of sincerity and revelation. this movie melancholic, poetic and very honest…
by rewatch, I noticed how interesting it was that the relationship with the mother here, it would seem, does not play such a significant role as in some of chantal’s other works, but, in the end, it becomes one of the main, if not the main theme of the film. anna feels free for the first time, having entered into a dialogue with her mother, and realizing that she can finally talk rather than listen. I love this movie with all my heart, now it's in my top 4.
