GIVING FRIENDSHIP THE FINGER: My Review of Martin McDonagh's THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN - Starring Colin Farrell & Brendan Gleeson

**THERE WILL BE SOME SPOILERS** 

**AS OF THIS WRITING, THE FILM IS AVAILABLE FOR STREAMING ON HBOMax**

My love of cinema is also closely tied to my love of the theatre.

Over the last 25 years, one of the more fascinating and consistent playwrights to emerge in the field is Ireland's darkly comedic prince Martin McDonagh.

McDonagh's work often has a very bleak and cynical edge with a sharp wit dripping through as if it were pouring out of a juicer. 

Plays like The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Pillowman, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, and A Behanding in Spokane all had elements that seemed to combine that strong brooding edge but with such surprising humor.

Despite his success and the admiration that he has amongst theatre afficionados, McDonagh has always had some reservations about theatre.

He was once quoted as saying that he holds "a respect for the history of films, and a slight disrespect for theatre."

He did go on to clarify that he didn't entirely disrespect it, but he does have a certain point when talking about the rising costs for tickets to see plays and how it creates a certain "elitism". Despite his darker sensibilities and the acclaim his plays have received, he still feels that "theatre is never going to be edgy in the way I want it to be".

So, over the last 15 years, McDonagh has been building a reputation as a filmmaker.

In 2004, he won an Oscar for his short film Six Shooter featuring his frequent acting collaborator Brendan Gleeson and soon followed that up in 2008 with the truly brilliant In Bruges, starring Gleeson and Colin Farrell.

2012's Seven Psychopaths didn't gain as much attention as In Bruges but was quite fantastic in its own right, and also had an amazing ensemble cast.

He really hit it big in 2017 with Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri which honestly came close to winning Best Picture and netted Oscar wins for actors Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell. Despite some of the more divisive elements that made some not really appreciate it, I loved the film.

It has been 5 years since that film was released but now, McDonagh is back, and he has teamed up with Farrell and Gleeson again on The Banshees of Inisherin, the first film of his that sort of feels connected to the kind of material he writes for the stage (even down to a similar kind of title).

I would even go as far to say that the film in style and plot and tone reminds me of his earliest breakout play, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, which is often not discussed these days as some of his other work.

Considering all of his other films have had more of high-octane tone, like the mobster edges of In Bruges or the action-packed shoot-outs of Seven Psychopaths, there is something weirdly surreal and calm and somewhat tragic about The Banshees of Inisherin.

As it stands, while it may not be my favorite film by McDonagh (I still consider that to be Three Billboards), I was rather fond of Banshees...and it is undoubtedly one of the best movies of the year.

Set on the isle of Inisherin in 1923, at the tail end of the Irish Civil War, we meet Padaric Suilleabhain (Colin Farrell) who lives with his sister Siobhan (Kerry Condon). 

Padaric goes to fetch his friend Colm (Brendan Gleeson) for a pint at their local pub only for him to just sit in his home, unmoved and smoking.

It turns out that Colm has reached a bit of an impasse with Padaric and he wants to end their friendship. This isn't just some sort of massive conflict that we aren't fully aware of...it is truly an overnight decision on Colm's part...and it leaves Padaric very confused and hurt.

The remarkable thing about this plot is how much McDonagh mines out of it. When you just state the plot in that manner, you think "How can one manage to stretch it out for nearly 2 hours?!"

McDonagh makes it work...and the little layers he adds with the tonal shifts and unexpected surreal edges give it a unique flavor. It certainly feels a lot like a McDonagh project, but he also shows immense growth as a filmmaker, too.

He showed great competence and flair as a director on all of his previous films, but here, he ups the visual aesthetic greatly and I think that the relative basic nature of his direction of Three Billboards (which I agree with in theory) is what led to him getting snubbed for a Directing nod that year. I don't think he will get snubbed this time...and if anything, I think he is going to win Original Screenplay.

As a director though, I almost felt like he took an Ingmar Bergman dread aesthetic out of The Seventh Seal and placed in a world of Jim Sheridan, director of such films as My Left Foot or The Field or the underrated In the Name of the Father.

Despite the scope of sweeping cinematography that features some truly gorgeous shots of the landscape and the ocean, it is certainly McDonagh at his most intimate a filmmaker. I appreciate that he is broadening his scope while also finding ways to keep his films fresh.

And it is also a true joy to watch Colin Farrel and Brendan Gleeson act again after they made for a truly glorious pairing in 2008's In Bruges. 

Gleeson does well in a sterling role, which is no surprise, but he manages to make the character compelling even though he is the one who is essentially casting Farrell's character aside for seemingly the only reason being that he grew to find him dull and with no cultural insight.

Farrell, it must be said, is fantastic and this might be some of his best work. I could even see him sneaking in to win the Best Actor Oscar for this performance. It isn't an undeniable performance necessarily, but I was very taken in to how much he gave the role.

As his sister Siobhan, Kerry Condon, who is best known for her role as Mike Ehrmantraut's daughter-in-law Stacey on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, is truly a scene-stealer.

She is strong and feisty and independent and speaks her mind...and in a key moment, local policeman Peadar Kearney makes a point to say that no one likes her.

This deeply affects her as we see her crying herself to sleep that night. It is clear that she is a woman who is destined for better things and that people around her are not helping her achieve her full potential. She is full of love, but she is a no-nonsense lady...I trust that we will see her get an Oscar nomination as well. 

Near the end of the film, Siobhan does get a position to work for a library on the mainland and chooses to take it leaving Padaric alone. When she leaves, she tries to get him to join her, but it seems as if both are choosing to pursue their own lives and it is uncertain when they will see each other again.

Speaking of the policeman I mentioned a little bit ago, Officer Kearney is a jackass...and the film has no problem presenting him as a problematic figure.

When Gleeson's Colm goes to a confessional at one point in the film, the priest makes a point to say that Colm shouldn't have punched Kearney as punching a policeman is a sin.

Colm replies "If punching a policeman is a sin, then we may as well pack up and go home".

Kearney also has a young son named Dominic, played by the charming Barry Keoghan who has been a part of such recent projects as Dunkirk and the masterpiece miniseries Chernobyl. Kearney beats his son frequently and, we discover, sexually abuses him.

Dominic is portrayed as being rather "dim" and a local troublemaker, but he is incredibly sweet and has a heart of gold. Keoghan lights up the screen whenever he is on it, and perhaps in one of the more difficult scenes to watch, he tries to ask Siobhan out on a date despite their over 10-year age difference. Throughout the film, Siobhan treated Dominic as a nuisance but in this moment, you could truly see that she felt horrible for hurting him. Both Condon and Keoghan sell this scene masterfully. 

When we find out that Dominic dies via drowning (and it isn't sure if it was accidental or suicide), I felt immense sadness for him. Keoghan, if there is any justice, should also get an Oscar nod for this.

Perhaps one of the more brutal aspects of the film involves Jenny, a miniature donkey that is almost like a dog to Padaric. 

Earlier in the film, to try to prove his point to Padaric, Colm threatens to cut off his own fingers for every time he attempts to talk to him. Padaric doesn't believe him...and the trailer showcases this moment for the humor of it...but Colm isn't kidding. He cuts off a finger and throws it at Padaric and Siobhan's door.

Padaric makes a valid point though.

If you want to make music (which is Colm's claim as he feels he can live on forever if he creates great music), why cut off your fingers?

Eventually, after multiple encounters, Colm cuts off the remaining four fingers on his hand and throws them at the house...which leads to Jenny attempting to eat one and choking to death.

This leads Padaric to joining the so-called impasse himself, but he goes a step further...he intends to burn down Colm's house and he hopes Colm will be inside when he does...but even if Colm did indirectly kill Jenny (which he feels horrible about), Padaric doesn't want Colm's dog to perish so he takes him with him.

There is a strong bond to the love of animals in this film that is rather sweet and adds to the tragic nature. It sort of does give that vibe that animals are simply better than people...which is, undoubtedly, true the majority of the time.

The surreal tragicomic nature of The Banshees of Inisherin makes for a rather interesting and eclectic offering to this movie award season. The main quartet of Farrell, Gleeson, Condon, and Keoghan are truly splendid. McDonagh shows new shades of himself both as a writer and a director...and honestly, much like his plays, I will always be willing to see what he comes up with next.

RATING: **** 1/2 out *****

WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM SOME SCISSORS: Discussing Chantal Akerman's JEANNE DIELMAN (w/spoilers)

 

Before I go any further, the link below will take you to my previous post which talks about my discovery of Jeanne Dielman and its critical history and its ascent to a truly high honor from modern day critics and directors alike:

Chantal Akerman's JEANNE DIELMAN: A Look at "The Greatest Film of All Time"

Within the first ten minutes of Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, we watch the titular character fiddle around her kitchen, entertain a gentleman caller, and take a bath.

This is all presented in a very straightforward and matter-of-fact way.

And with very little dialogue to boot.

To top that all off, once we get through those first 10 minutes, we watch Jeanne clean the bathtub and prepare for dinner which will just be for her and her teenaged son as she is widowed.

One could call Jeanne Dielman a film that truly embodies a "slice of life" motif. Others might call it "anticinema".

I have had friends or acquaintances of mine who appreciate film often insult or mock films of a certain nature that opt for what they might call a more pretentious approach.

Cinema is obviously a visual artform, and a lot of the appeal of going to the movies for many people has been the concept of "spectacle".

A certain reputation has formed around those who might opt to go see a small indie film as they mock the movies of the Marvel universe which continue to make bank year after year.

Sure, we might be considered film snobs, but I think cinema has a place for films that one might dub to be "nothing". Jeanne Dielman can be seen as a film about nothing and that it drags on for a running time that is nearly 10 minutes longer than the likes of Titanic or Schindler's List...but just as quietly as it crept up to obtain the crown of "Greatest Film of All Time", I would say Jeanne Dielman says a lot about gender/sexual politics without even conveying a lot of dialogue.

We observe Jeanne over the course of 3 days. In the first day, everything feels very routine.

I've already mentioned the cooking and the cleaning and the gentleman caller and the bath, but we also get:

-Jeanne and her son having dinner

-Jeanne reading a letter aloud to her son, Sylvain from his aunt.

-Jeanne helping Sylvain practice accent work

-Jeanne crocheting while reading the newspaper.

Everything so far has been dripping with pure domesticity. Jeanne's life is nothing but a repetitive routine...but then you get this added spin of her prostituting herself for money. When Jeanne reads the letter to Sylvain, Jeanne's sister mentions how brave it is that Jeanne remains single after the passing of her husband. It doesn't really show that Jeanne cares that deeply about finding companionship...which we will find out a little more about later.

She simply is doing what she has to do to provide for herself and Sylvain. She shows no shame by it, nor should she feel shame by it.

With the day winding down, Jeanne and Sylvain straighten up the living room and then prepare for bed.

This is when we start to get more of a direct glimpse into the relationship between the two of them, and it is also the moment I can recall when the film really truly pulled me into its spell.

Jeanne brushes her hair before bed and then goes to wish her son a goodnight.

Before parting the room, Jeanne notices Sylvain is reading. She had already a comment during dinner that he shouldn't be reading at the table...and now he is reading before bed.

The following exchange occurs:

_____________________

JEANNE: You're always reading, just like your father.

SYLVAIN: I know. You already told me.
(pause)
How did you meet my father?

JEANNE: Why do you ask that now?

SYLVAIN: I just read the word "miracle"...and Aunt Fernande always said it was a miracle she met Jack.

JEANNE: Yes, he came in '44 to liberate us. They tossed chewing gum and chocolates to us, and we threw flowers to them. I met your father after the Americans had left. I was living with my aunts, because my parents were dead. One Saturday, I went to the Bois de la Cambre with a girlfriend. I don't remember the weather. She knew him. You know who I mean. I've shown you her picture. So, we began seeing each other. I was working as a billing clerk for horrible pay. Life with my aunts was dull; I didn't feel like getting married, but it seemed to be the thing to do, as they say. My aunts kept saying "He's nice...he has money. He'll make you happy"...but I still couldn't decide. I really wanted a life of my own, and a child...then his business suddenly hits the rocks, so I married him. Things like that happened after the war. My aunts changed their minds. They said a pretty girl like me could do better and find a man who'd give me a good life. They said he was ugly and so on, but I didn't listen.

SYLVAIN: If he was ugly, did you want to make love with him?

JEANNE: Ugly or not, it wasn't all that important. Besides, "making love", as you call it, is merely a detail. And I had you.

SYLVAIN: Would you want to remarry?

JEANNE: No. Get used to someone else?

SYLVAIN: I mean someone you love.

JEANNE: Oh, you know...

SYLVAIN: Well, if I were a woman, I could never make love with someone I wasn't deeply in love with.

JEANNE: How could you know? You're not a woman. Lights out.

____________________

There is a forwardness between these two that doesn't feel as typical between what you would expect between a mother and a son.

However, within this exchange, you get the history you need to know to sort of understand Jeanne. This was a woman who did love the idea of having a child, but never seemed to be that invested in the idea of being married. 

But it was the late 40s/early 50s, it was "the thing to do". 

And here you have her teenaged son, who does seem to support her, but he is thinking along the lines of her finding someone new to love. The big difference is she doesn't seem to care and seems pretty content while he seems to have an old-fashioned view on only having sex with someone he loves.

Little does he know that the manner in which she is supporting him is by sexual favors.

In one fell swoop, we have a woman onscreen right at the height of the 70s Womens Movement, basically proclaiming in a subtle way that she doesn't need a man to marry, nor does sex have to be directly linked to love.

Or maybe on some level, she longs for it and can't bear to focus on that detail.

That is where we proceed into the second day...and once we get to the second day, the routine repeats.

Perhaps under a lesser hand, this repetition could come across as if Jeanne were repeating some kind of Groundhog Day scenario, but instead, the routine seems to be what is keeping Jeanne at bay.

We slowly see tiny moments of this routine start to unravel.

When Jeanne prepares potatoes, she overcooks them.

When she tries has a freshly washed spoon on the floor, it is a little action that seems to crack something very subtly within her psyche. 

Jeanne is played by Delphine Seyrig, a French actress who would eventually pass away from cancer in 1990.

Seyrig's work in this movie reminds of Anna Magnani...although the mere mention of Magnani might make some raise an eyebrow as that actress was known for her volcanic and rather intense acting approach in many Italian Neorealist films of the 40s and 50s. That was the thing about Magnani though; she was very bold, but she was very real in that emotional intensity.

Seyrig is at the other end of that spectrum. She is all about the subtlety.

When you watch Seyrig in these scenes, she goes about her day doing these activities without any sense of performance. It is truly an example of someone onscreen simply living a life...but that isn't to say that Seyrig is unremarkable. 

Far from it.

Seyrig manages to have a very provocative screen presence even while performing a simple act such as peeling potatoes. She is actually a marvel at expressing these slight cracks in her emotional state, such as smiling but having the size of it fade over time as she slowly slips away from her sense of reality.

It all feels like a truly gradual descent into a quiet nervous breakdown happening in real time, but without any kind of bells and whistles that might make for an "Oscar-bait" scene.

The film focuses on so many of the same scenes on each day so that we can watch Jeanne slowly lose a grip on this calculated life she has built. 

The genius of Akerman here is how subtly she herself stages these scenes because no matter how small the little deviations of the routine are, you slowly feel yourself feeling covered by a dark cloud. The amount of dread that starts to permeate everything is slowly being turned like a knob by both Akerman and Seyrig. I would go as far as to say very few performers and filmmakers have ever synched up in such a potent way as Seyrig and Akerman did on this film.

This is where the major spoiler point comes into play.

Jeanne entertains another gentleman caller on the third day. We don't see her actually participating in any sexual acts...in fact, any time that occurs, the film will literally keep us in a dark space without any real sense of how the act plays out.

Although, following this particular act, we see Jeanne standing at the foot of her bed getting dressed. Her gentleman caller is lying in bed basking in the afterglow while she just seems very disconnected from everything around her...until she spots some scissors lying on her vanity. She picks them up and walks out of view of the camera, only to abruptly reappear stabbing her "john" in the chest.

                 As he lies dead in her bed, we suddenly see Jeanne sitting back at her kitchen table. 

And we watch her, for nearly 6 minutes straight, just sitting there. She appears somewhat despondent but maybe even a little relaxed even with the blood still on her right hand. She tries to awkwardly adjust her posture as if she is trying to rebuild her emotional barrier that she had built around her to protect from any kind of harm she might cause to herself, Sylvain, or to anyone else...and it makes you wonder what the next step is for Jeanne. What kind of potential trauma will she face from this incident?

We will never know.

The film fades to black and the credits roll and the only sound you hear are the cars whizzing by on the street outside her home.

There is truly something unsettling about Jeanne Dielman and while I wouldn't say it is scary like a horror film, it leaves this weird uncomfortable feeling that not many horror films have achieved for me.

Akerman's direction on this film might appear to some as being static and dull, but I think what she achieved here is absolutely stunning.

Chantal Akerman

In interviews, the late Akerman stated that as a filmmaker, she wanted to maintain a sense of space for the character of Jeanne. A lot of the shots are done at a slight distance as if Akerman is in Jeanne's home but doesn't want to impose too much on the proceedings. All of the framings were meant to "respect" Jeanne's space, and that the long static shots simply would always keep the viewer knowledgeable of where she was.

Akerman also used an entirely female crew for the film which she actually deemed a disaster after the fact. 

She said: "It didn't work that well. Not because they were women - but I didn't get to choose them. It was enough for them just to be women - so the shooting was awful".

She also stated that various images in the film were built around the idea of social hierarchies and how women are perceived within them. "Women's work comes out of oppression...and whatever comes out of oppression is more interesting. You have to be definite. You have to BE".

Akerman seemed to have a gift at taking a stab at the idea of the patriarchy without fully ignoring the aspects of it that could be fruitful to show the tragic plights of many women at that time...or even simply women who maybe weren't negatively affected per se but perhaps might've found more joy in life if they didn't stick to certain routines.

Maybe Jeanne would've had a happier life had she taken more chances...but who are we to judge her for how she chose to cope with the death of her husband? She didn't even seem to be that invested in him as it is.

I am not saying I condone murder, of course...as it does seem like Jeanne's unraveling took the life of an innocent man. But...I personally take the view that Jeanne's life of rote routines and domestication are what led to her emotional downfall. She did want to be a mother and loves being a mother, but she didn't care too much about being a wife and yet, she managed to find some sort of weird solace in these domestic activities.

If you want to really simplify it, you could say that this is a great advertisement for women to run out of their homes and get a job in the work force.

I think that is rather brash and not particularly enthralling way of analyzing what the film is trying to say...but there is a certain truth to that.

Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles manages to say so much with so little about grief and the idea of women's roles in society.

Akerman made this film when she was 25 years old...and she would've only been 72 if she were still alive today. 

As a filmmaker, she managed to find a way to create a truly compelling vitality in what seemingly seemed like nothing. That is why Akerman deserves this kind of recognition.

That is why Jeanne Dielman is truly a masterwork.

Chantal Akerman's JEANNE DIELMAN: A Look at "The Greatest Film of All Time" (NO SPOILERS)

 Perhaps you have heard the news.

The 1975 Belgian film Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles has been selected as the greatest film of all time in the prestigious BFI's (British Film Institute) Sight & Sound Poll.

The Sight & Sound Poll has been released every decade from 1952 to the present and it is a list compelled by the likes of film directors, writers, critics, and historians. While others may disagree, I do think there is a pretty solid argument that it is one of the more highly regarded and respected film polls out there.

For reference, I am going to show you the full top 10 lists for both 2012 and 2022:

        2012:

1. Vertigo (191 mentions)
2. Citizen Kane (157 mentions)
3. Tokyo Story (107 mentions)
4. The Rules of the Game (100 mentions)
5. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (93 mentions)
6. 2001: A Space Odyssey (90 mentions)
7. The Searchers (78 mentions)
8. Man with a Movie Camera (68 mentions)
9. The Passion of Joan of Arc (65 mentions)
10. 8½ (64 mentions)

        _________

        2022:

1. Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles
2. Vertigo
3. Citizen Kane
4. Tokyo Story
5. In the Mood for Love
6. 2001: A Space Odyssey
7. Beau Travail
8. Mulholland Drive
9. Man with a Movie Camera
10. Singin' in the Rain

Looking at these two lists, you might notice that some of the older films from the 2012 list were bumped in favor of somewhat newer offerings like 2000's In the Mood for Love or 2001's Mulholland Drive.

I am still just as surprised as anyone else about the selection of Jeanne Dielman as the "greatest film of all time".

Before I go any further, I did want to mention that I am going into this essay without discussing any kind of spoilers of the film. I do think it is better to go into it cold, but I also sort of regret even saying that much.

Maybe I will do a separate "spoilers" post about the film as I do think it deserves additional discussion. I am also going to do a separate post which will discuss the rest of the Sight & Sound film selections both from the critics' list and the directors' list which the latter did include Jeanne Dielman but not in the #1 slot. 

I discovered Jeanne Dielman when I was a freshman in high school, so this would've been 2003. At the time, Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation came out which I adored. A lot of online film forums were discussing the possibility of her getting nominated for a Directing Oscar which would not only make her just the THIRD woman to get nominated, but the first American woman to do so.

It felt insane that the number was so low. She did manage to get the nomination, but lost to Peter Jackson, which was not considered a shock. Coppola did manage to win Original Screenplay, which was deserved and was similar to the SECOND woman who got a Directing nod: Jane Campion, who lost her Directing bid for The Piano to Spielberg for Schindler's List...but she did net the Screenplay win.

But I digress...

With all of the talk of women filmmakers not getting their fair shake, I found lists from older film fanatics who were recommending great films made by women that they felt deserved to be seen.

Of these lists, two films stood out to me:

Agnes Varda's Cleo from 5 to 7

Chantal Akerman's Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles 

Varda's work was seen as an inspiration to Akerman (and, admittedly, I might like Cleo a little more than Jeanne Dielman but that isn't relevant or important here) ...and it shows. 

I was very lucky growing up that my local library had a rather impressive slate of films available for rent, and this included foreign films as well. There was an older gay man who oversaw that aspect of the library, and he often led me to choosing certain films to see and I credit him for developing a lot of my film tastes. 

I remember him being thrilled when I rented Jeanne Dielman and he was eager to hear my thoughts.

I am not even sure I know how to describe my first thoughts on the film. At nearly 3 1/2 hours long, Jeanne Dielman is undeniably a process to sit through...but unlike longer films that managed to put me to sleep (coughTheEnglishPatientcough), something about Jeanne Dielman kept me in a rather surreal trance.

The movie is about a woman named Jeanne Dielman (and we never hear her name spoken aside from a letter she reads aloud to her son). She is a widow who spends her days doing routines that never vary, such as cleaning and preparing meals for her and her teenaged son. She manages to make a living by prostituting herself with one client a day.

And we watch her do these routines for 3 days' worth of time...but with each passing day, little moments cause the routine to crack, and we slowly realize that Jeanne may not be as stable as we think.

Despite being made and released in 1975, Jeanne Dielman was not seen in the US until 1983. Once critics did see it from our side of the pond, most praised it as being revelatory. 

Jonathan Rosenbaum, a critic of The Chicago Reader, was among the film's earliest champions here in the States. When some bemoaned its long running time, he said:

 "[IT] needs its running time, for its subject is an epic one, and the overall sweep ... trains one to recognize and respond to fluctuations and nuances. If a radical cinema is something that goes to the roots of experience, this is at the very least a film that shows where and how some of these roots are buried"

Many commented on how the film was showing a bold example of normalizing sex work as an actual career (which it is...I strongly feel it needs to be decriminalized).

Writer Ivonne Marguilles stated that the film was "fully in tune" with the European Womens' Movement of the 1970's and that it provided a "rigorous alignment of sexual/gender politics with a formal economy".

 

Queer film critic/historian B. Ruby Rich made even bolder proclamation by stating that Ackerman invented "a new language capable of translating truth previously unspoken". She also added that "never before had the materiality of a woman's time at home been portrayed so viscerally".

In 2009, The Criterion Collection released Jeanne Dielman on DVD for the first time, and it slowly developed a bigger cult following. However, with the passing of Chantal Akerman in 2015 at the rather young age of 65, a lot of her work got re-evaluated by many film critics and historians. 

Criterion once again released another remaster of the film in 2017 and during this time, it felt very prescient. With the tides changing to look for more inclusion and diversity, many were discovering the film and Akerman's body of work for the first time. Even prior to 2017, the only other film of Akerman's I had seen was her 1978 film The Meetings of Anna, but Criterion introduced me to several others like Tout une nuit and I, You, She, He. 

Between the 2012 and 2022 Sight & Sound polls, the tides have changed and while some like to criticize the concept of identity politics when putting in the world of artistic criticism, I think many films made by women and people of color have not gotten the credit they deserve.

On the critics' list alone, for the first time ever, there are two films made by women. In addition to Jeanne Dielman, the list above shows Claire Denis' Beau Travail, which was a film I saw once back around 2005 and really did like but feel like it warrants another viewing.

In terms of other inclusions, I will save that for the other post. 

It seems remarkable that in just the span of 10 years, Jeanne Dielman went from getting listed at #34 in 2012 to #1. 

Last year, I made a series of posts on my blog going on a decade's journey listing what my top 10 films were from each decade starting with the 1930s to the 2010s.

When discussing the 70s, I put Jeanne Dielman at #7 and stated that I felt this was a film that was starting to get more attention and that I would love for me people to give it the recognition it deserves.

I really truly did not think that I would see it be crowned the #1 movie by the critics and historians with the Sight & Sound magazine. 

This is only the 8th list of its kind that has been made by the magazine/institute. Jeanne Dielman is only the fourth film to have been named the "greatest of all time" following Bicycle Thieves, which held the title only once for the list's inaugural outing.

Then, the perennial and cliched choice of Citizen Kane held the title for every list between 1962 and 2002 until Vertigo unseated it in 2012.

Jeanne Dielman still seems like such an obscure choice, but while I have read a lot of snide comments from people who probably haven't seen any movies outside of those made within the Marvel Universe, the film snob in me revels in seeing the film get this kind of recognition.

As I stated before, it is nearly 3 1/2 hours long...and it is presented in such a matter-of-fact manner that I can't help but marvel in how ballsy it actually is. 

Akerman was a feminist filmmaker who actually did balk at the idea of being pegged as such because she sadly felt that there "was no such thing as Women's Cinema".

Chantal Akerman

Sadly, she kind of had a point. 

She passed away right before a lot of the real surge of recognizing women filmmakers came to light, with both Chloe Zhao and Jane Campion winning Best Director Oscars within a year of each other.

Akerman was one of the true pioneers and was a true inspiration not just as a woman, but to any filmmaker. Her style of filmmaking inspired the likes of Gus van Sant, whose work on movies like Elephant were clearly imbued with the Akerman slow-paced haze.

Akerman was an unsung hero for so long and I think she truly is a beacon for feminist cinema...although she deserves to be held on a higher pedestal than that.

I am not sure how quickly I will have it up, but I do intend to do a more in-depth analysis and review (with spoilers) of Jeanne Dielman. 

If you do have an interest of seeking out the film, it is available for streaming on Criterion but an easier platform to find it on is HBO Max.

Perhaps a slow-paced movie of such a length won't be for everyone, but I honestly...give it a look.

A Look Back at Season 8 of THE SIMPSONS: Top 10 Episodes Included

After giving us a season that managed to tackle topics such as faking your death, the meaning of having a soul, and babies shooting evil elderly men, Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein were now going into their second season as showrunners with a stellar track record. 

However, if you've been following these posts of mine, you already know that things are (for me) all downhill from here.

I have to stress that season 8 of The Simpsons is certainly not bad. In fact, I stand by my opinion that it has far more successes than it does misses. 

I think the biggest thing about season 8 is that after tackling more relationship/character driven storyline in season 7, Oakley & Weinstein opted to go more into plot-driven material here that would put the characters into rather bizarre scenarios...and sure, they were mostly entertaining, but there is a definitely a feeling of the tide changing at times.

I have a few more thoughts about the season, but I will save them for after the top 10.

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THE TOP 10:

#10 - Lisa's Date with Density 

Written by Mike Scully

Out of all of the side characters to have been created in the 30+ year history of The Simpsons, I have something of a soft spot for Nelson Mandela Muntz.

As a bully character, he quickly became something more. It was almost as if he bullied based on principle rather than simply vindictive attack...and he also seemed to have no shame bullying adults. He was an equal opportunity bully. 

In season 7, we got two moments that sort of put Nelson in a unique position.

During "22 Short Films About Springfield", a random adult character that we've never seen before puts Nelson in his place when he mocks him for driving such a small car...and during the moment, he is portrayed and drawn with such vulnerability that you almost feel bad for him despite the hilarity of the moment.

In "Bart on the Road", we learn that Nelson is a fan of crooner Andy Williams, insisting they stop to attend one of his concerts in Branson. 

Seeing these interesting quirky details, the team came up with "Lisa's Date with Density", in which Lisa realizes she might actually have a crush on Springfield's oafish bully.

Lisa does manage to bring out a good side to Nelson, and even if it doesn't last, you leave the episode sort of understanding him a little better...and frankly, I came to love the character a lot more after the episode first aired. 

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#9 - Treehouse of Horror VII

Written by Ken Keeler, Dan Greaney, and David X. Cohen

While I do think "The Genesis Tub" and particularly "The Thing and I" are good segments, a lot of my love of this anthology episode comes from "Citizen Kang", in which longtime alien characters Kang & Kodos kidnap then-current Presidential candidates Bill Clinton and Bob Dole with the goal of taking over their lives and then overtaking planet Earth for themselves. 

Homer is the one directly involved in witnessing this act and in order to make people not believe the story, they choose to soak him in rum so everyone assumes he is a drunk...which...to be fair...is not that far from the truth.

And even when everything could have a happy ending, Homer still manages to ruin civilization as we know it.

Perhaps my favorite aspect of this story is how both Kang & Kodos as Clinton and Dole seem to have no real sense of how these candidates should talk and yet the nonsense they dish out doesn't seem the least bit bizarre to the general public.

The most iconic of these lines would be Kodos as Clinton stating the line in the video clip below:

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#8 - In Marge We Trust

Written by Donick Cary

Marge themed episodes don't always seem to come as often...nor do they often seem to be as popular as those based around other characters.

However, I will always love Marge. 

The writers may not always utilize her to their detriment, but they often can find ways to make her hilarious amongst all the chaos.

"In Marge We Trust" puts her in a role of noble power as she takes over Rev. Lovejoy's help line at the church and she becomes a Christian version of Dear Abby. 

To contrast this, the B-plot is hilariously surreal and proves to be one of the show's more humorous bits of fanciful coincidence.

Homer, Bart, and Lisa make a long overdue trip to the dump to dispose of their Christmas Tree and come across a box of the Japanese cleaner Mr. Sparkle, whose mascot resembles Homer.

Homer is almost scared at why this mascot looks so much like him. 

The actual reveal: that two mascots from two conglomerates came together (a fish and a lightbulb) to make the Mr. Sparkle mascot is merely a coincidence...but it works so well as a B-Plot that I admittedly have forgotten in the past that it came from THIS episode as it felt strongly enough to work as an A-Plot.    

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#7 - Hurricane Neddy

Written by Steve Young

If there was ever a character on The Simpsons that deserved to snap, it was arguably Ned Flanders. By this point, we've watched him 8 seasons taking a lot of heat from his neighbor Homer...and in many ways, a lot of the citizens of Springfield.

Flanders was always cheerful and eager to spread his jovial religious views onto anyone who would listen...and that inner strength and sense of self was always a source of disdain to Homer.

It is no hidden secret that Homer has a dark desire to be more like Flanders...and it is even less a secret that Marge also wishes that she had someone like Flanders. Even all 3 of the Simpson kids have shown a desire to have Flanders as their father figure.

Hurricane Neddy is the moment where we finally get to see Flanders reach the end of his rope. When a hurricane hits Springfield, Flanders' house seems to be the only one somehow destroyed.

Despite a brief moment of despair, it seems like his prayers may have been answered when the citizens of Springfield gather together to rebuild the Flanders' home. 

Not surprisingly, it was a half-assed job and this sends Flanders off the cliff, insulting the entire Simpsons family and calling Homer "the worst person I have ever met".

Though, Flanders seems to know that he snapped and checks himself into a mental institution immediately after...and we discover with the aid of his former childhood psychologist that Ned Flanders was a child filled with rage who didn't take to his chill beatnik parents.

Obviously, I would never take or agree with the strict and devout ways that Flanders leads his life, but within the world of Springfield, he always provides such a great contrast to Homer and the loons around him. The episode simply works because it feels so good to see that Ned Flanders, the Saint, does indeed earn this fit of anger.

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#6 - The Mysterious Voyage of Homer

Written by Ken Keeler

Despite not being to the level of season 7 as I have stated before, I do have to admire that Oakley & Weinstein were willing to experiment.

"The Mysterious Voyage of Homer" was originally an idea pitched by George Meyer in season 3 but a lot of the staff felt it was too odd for the show and it was scrapped. While Oakley & Weinstein truly adored that era of the show, they were looking to find ways to imbue some new dynamics and dusted off the template for this episode. 

The family attends a chili cook-off, much to Marge's dismay, and while eating several hot chili peppers (thanks to the rather dangerous method of coating his mouth with scalding candle wax), Homer hallucinates and thus we get one of the first truly surreal sequences in the show's history. 

Not to mention the guest appearance of Johnny Cash as Homer's cayote spirt guide in one of the best guest star coups the show managed to net.

I also credit this episode for developing my love of Janis Ian's song At Seventeen. You hear it sung in a cheesy ironic way by a bunch of beauty queens way back in Season 4's A Streetcar Named Marge, but here, we get an actual snippet of the real song. 

And then to also tie back to a season 4 moment, the episode ends with the song "Who Wears Short Shorts?" but in a moment where Homer and Marge have yet another sweet reconcillation. 

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#5 - Bart After Dark

Written by Richard Appel

The idea of having Bart work in a burlesque house is slight tip in the direction of showing viewers that the show might be going for more bombastic ideas...but nevertheless, the episode works rather well.

A lot of it has to do with the setup: a classic example of what appears to be a kid losing a toy on someone else's property that seems truly scary, but instead of going for something sweeter and more sentimental, they trick you into having the secluded house actually being a burlesque venue that is quite popular with the men of Springfield.

The madame of Maison Derrière, Belle, has Bart start working there as a way to make up for destroying one of her stone gargoyles. Marge is rather upset by the fact that this venue even exists and in true Marge fasion, seeks for it to close down.

The episode ends with Belle and the citizens of Springfield being won over by a big song-and-dance number, We Put the Spring in Springfield...which ended up winning an Emmy for Best Original Song.

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#4 - Homer's Phobia

Written by Ron Hauge

The YouTube channel TheRealJims is devoted to the history of The Simpsons and if you are a truly fanatic admirer of the show like I am, I would recommend checking it out.

I bring him up because he recently did a video about the concept of "Jerk-Ass Homer", which was a term that was created in the late-90s in various online fan forums due to the distaste of how writers just seemed to make Homer a jerk simply for the case of being a jerk.

I will talk more about that when we get into seasons 9 and 10, but there is a valid point to be made which that particular video brought up: Wasn't Homer ALWAYS kind of a jerk?

Yes, he was.

However, the moments of volatility seemed a lot more sparce OR...and this is the key factor...his worst moments were met with punishments or embarrassments or actual realizations of his faults.

A lot of this came out of character driven storylines, and "Homer's Phobia" is a prime example of how an ignorant viewpoint ends up becoming a moment of character growth for him.

As the first real episode to delve into extensive LGBTQ+ themes, "Homer's Phobia" holds up remarkably well and it helps that they got someone like John Waters to guest star as the gay character John...whom the whole family instantly takes a liking to. If stuffy Marge can accept John, so should Homer...even Bart shows no sign of discomfort with John.

While the reindeer ending is a bit...odd, I do think the rest of the episode works well as a social commentary for its time. 

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#3 - Supercalafragalisticexpiala(annoyed grunt)cious

Written by Al Jean & Mike Reiss

This is another one of those episodes that seemed more based on a silly plot device rather than more character driven stories that would bear some resemblance to reality. Co-writer Mike Reiss actually objected to this episode at first for that very reason and fought hard to keep any real magical moments at a minimum. The final product ended up being one of his favorite episodes he contributed to.

Considering how much I adore Mary Poppins, I can't help but love this episode, too.

I actually considered this my favorite (or at least top 3) episode back around the time it first aired. While I certainly wouldn't rank it anywhere near that level anymore, I still greatly enjoy the episode and each of the beats taken from the plot of Mary Poppins. 

Voice actor Maggie Roswell (who worked on the show doing such characters like Maude Flanders) was tasked with voicing Sherry Bobbins, the Mary Poppins counterpart. She excels in the role by imbuing it with a true Julie Andrews style. It was said that Julie Andrews was lined up to actually perform the role, but scheduling with her run in Victor/Victoria and her infamous surgery that cost her the upper range of her singing voice made her step aside.

Despite it being an unrealistic idea borne out of a fantasy film, this is one of the times (thanks to it being on the earlier side of the shift) that the show nailed it and gave us an episode that is just simply nostalgic and fun.

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#2 - Grade School Confidential

Written by Rachel Pulido

As Sideshow Bob once said, "You only get one shot with Edna Krabappel".

Throughout the last 8 seasons, Edna Krabappel has been a common fixture within the show, but mainly confined to the world of Springfield Elementary where she is Bart's 4th grade teacher.

She is a snarky and surly and often crabby woman...but she also has a wicked and sly sense of humor and tends to be unlucky in love...or she just hasn't found the right man and she won't settle.

Pairing Edna with the ultimate Mama's boy this side of Norman Bates almost seems as right as it does wrong.

Principal Seymour Skinner's squarish tendencies and Edna's penchant for mocking him always made for great laughs, and it was clear that the writers saw immense potential in pairing them.

In fact, there were talks in the writers' room of doing so as early as season 3. Even in an episode from that season, "Bart the Lover", they reference Edna possibly dating Seymour to which she refuses because "his mommy won't let him out to play".

Bart discovering their affair is not surprising, nor is his becoming their gofer so they can exchange messages secretly throughout the school day. 

Even after he ends up exposing them eventually which leads to their temporary firing, he pushes for them to get their jobs back. In the end, despite the antagonistic nature this triangle shares, it is truly amazing the hidden warmth they have for one another.

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#1 - Homer's Enemy 

Written by John Swartzwelder

Yeah, I know...this is a pretty typical choice. Also, it used to be (not sure if it still is) the highest rated episode of The Simpsons on IMDB. 

When it comes to the concept of meta-commentary, there is a lot to unpack with an episode like "Homer's Enemy".

It acts as such a strong attack on the show's lead character and with rather morbid results at the end that when it aired, it divided people intensely.

At the time it aired, I was about to turn 9 but was an avid viewer of the show. I can recall the old Simpsons online forums blowing up because many people considered this the end of the show. Others considered it a bold masterpiece.

I obviously wasn't as astute as a lot of the people on the forum at my age, but I always loved this episode. It doesn't surprise me in the least that it has since gone on to be a classic and also the final masterful episode of the Golden Age as season 8 would come to a close just two episodes after this one.

"Homer's Enemy" is that of Frank Grimes, a character developed just for this episode (which is normally a motif I hate on other shows but leave it to this writing staff to make it work) who grew up having a hard life. Despite many obstacles, he persists. He takes a job at the Springfield Nuclear Plant and is placed in Sector 7G with Homer, Carl, and Lenny.

Almost instantly, Frank takes an instant dislike to Homer and is baffled by his laziness and incompetent behavior...especially considering he is the head of Safety for the plant.

The concept of having an outsider come into this world and instantly call out all of the great things that Homer has around him that he honestly didn't truly earn was a very bold move. The show had never been so blatant in calling attention to itself. 

In many ways, it was a critique on themselves just as much as you could view it as being a metaphor for the American Dream and how no matter how hard you may work at it, some others may just grab more for doing a lot less out of pure luck.

The death of Frank Grimes at the end is easily one of the darkest places The Simpsons goes towards, but I still think it was a brilliant place to go.

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Final Thoughts:

Season 8 is one that I have waffled on. For many years, I stated that the Golden Age ended on a high note with Season 7 and then we were left with a whimper in season 8.

Time has been far more kind to season 8 than I ever anticipated. Sure, there were a few episodes I absolutely loved from this season even back when it first aired (a few of them are on this list), but I didn't respond as strongly to the rather abstract and surreal choices after really loving the whimsical and character driven nature of season 7 and the dark and slick season 6. 

I would say that while there is a noticeable drop in quality compared to seasons 6-7, I would still consider season 8 to be a part of the Golden Age...and it would be the season that officially ends it.

Season 8 does try to change the formula a little bit in the same vein that David Mirkin tried to do in season 5, but I think the big difference between these two seasons are that Oakley & Weinstein just had a more innate understanding of how to blend in a certain warmth and whimsy along with the snark and cynicism...or at the very least, they were able to maintain a stronger consistency level.

Maybe it is unfair to necessarily say it played a factor, but while Mirkin came in as an outside hire for season 5, Oakley & Weinstein were hired as writers prior to Season 4 by then-headwriting duo Al Jean & Mike Reiss, who had been with the show since day one. Not to mention, the original team of Brooks, Groening, and Simon were still strongly present in the writers room at that time.

Even if Mirkin did eventually find his groove and create some truly iconic moments, I just think Oakley and Weinstein were the better fit and they managed to turn out a slightly more successful spin at revitalizing the show than the final results of Mirkin's Season 5.

Sadly though, Oakley & Weinstein step down here and the reins are turned over to Mike Scully.

Scully has written a couple of great episodes (with a couple already being mentioned on my lists so far), but Simpsons fans have some strong feelings about him. In many ways, he is the man who set the show down the path that still has many bemoaning to this day that it should've been cancelled 20 years ago.

But I will go more into that when discussing season 9...