Director Watch Podcast Ep. 137 – ‘Je Tu Il Elle’ (Chantal Akerman, 1974)

On episode 137 of the Director Watch Podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter discuss the first film in their Chantal Akerman series, Je Tu Il Elle (1974).

Welcome back to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, the boys attempt to break down, 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.

Last week the guys said goodbye to the figure that is Warren Beatty, and switch things up by focusing on a director whose work has become discovered and evaluated more as her second feature was given the crown of the “greatest film of all time” from Sight and Sound; Chantal Akerman. Before next week’s examination of said greatest film, Ryan and Jay first take a look at her feature film, an experimental look at the life of a young woman (played by Akerman) and her journey of discovering her relationship with wanting to connect with someone and the damage it can have on her if it’s absent in her life. As thought provoking and patient of a debut feature as you will ever see, the boys breakdown their thoughts on the film, off the cuff Top 10 for the Sight and Sound list if they were ever asked, their marvel of Akerman’s use of the form, what eating pure sugar from a bag must be like, and how this film is the appetizer for the meal that is Jeanne Dielman on next week’s show.

You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen to it on our AwardsWatch YouTube page.

This podcast runs 1h38m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Chantal Akerman with a review of her next film, Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles. You can watch it on HBO Max or rent it via iTunes or Amazon Prime 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).

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Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter

Ryan McQuade is the Executive Editor of AwardsWatch. He is a film-obsessed writer located in San Antonio, Texas raised on musicals, westerns, and James Bond, and his taste in cinema is extremely versatile. He’s extremely fond of independent releases and director’s passion projects.

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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• Director Watch Podcast Ep. 137 – ‘Je Tu Il Elle’ (Chantal Akerman, 1974) - January 30, 2026