Director Watch Podcast Ep. 138 – ‘Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles’ (Chantal Akerman, 1975) with special guest Morgan Roberts
On episode 138 of the Director Watch Podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter are joined by Morgan Roberts, host of the Female Gaze; The Film Club podcast, to discuss the next film in their Chantal Akerman series, Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975).
Welcome back to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, the boys attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema’s greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you’ve got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love.
The Director Watch duo have talked about some of the most important films of all time, but none bigger than Jeanne Dielman, the film voted as the number one film of all time by Sight and Sound back in 2022. Following the everyday life of a widower preparing meals for her and her son while also performing the occasional trick to make it by, Akerman dives deep into the soul of someone on the verge of falling apart, slowing showing a three-day meltdown that leads to shocking, heartbreaking conclusions. But is it the greatest movie of all time is the real question. Ryan, Jay, and Morgan break down their thoughts on the film, the methodical pace and structure of this portrait of a modern woman, her preparation for the various meals we see her make, her uneven relationship with her son, how missing someone you love has long term effects, the film’s controversial ending, and so much more that includes Ryan breaking down the entire plot of the 2011 sci-fi action picture In Time.
You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more.
This podcast runs 1h43m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Chantal Akerman with a review of her next film, Les rendez-vous d’Anna (1978). You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let’s get into it.
Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and “B-3” from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).
Engrossed with all things Oscars, he hosts the AwardsWatch Podcast, alongside members of the AwardsWatch Team. He is also the co-host of the Director Watch podcast with Jay Ledbetter, covering director movie series of cinemas’ greatest auteurs.
Ryan covers multiple film festivals a year including Sundance, SXSW, Telluride, Toronto, New York, Middleburg, and AFI where he reviews films and interviews top talent.
When he’s not watching movies, he’s rooting on all his favorite sports teams, including his beloved Texas Longhorns. He is also a member of the Critics Choice Association (CCA), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), the Latino Entertainment Journalists Association (LEJA) and the Houston Film Critics Society (HFCS).
Jay Ledbetter is a finance manager by day, film critic by night living in Atlanta, Georgia. He began writing about film in 2013 and is not afraid to confront people of all ages if they are too loud in the theater.
As well as his reviews, Jay is the co-host of the Director Watch podcast with Ryan McQuade, our director movie series covering cinemas’ greatest auteurs. In addition to his work at AwardsWatch, Jay has written and hosted podcasts for Film Inquiry and InSession Film. He is an auteur obsessive, regularly diving deep into the filmographies of celebrated filmmakers.
Jay is a proud member of the Atlanta Film Critics Circle and the Georgia Film Critics Association.
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