1080 Bruxelles

Hollywood Remake of Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles

The film examines a widowed mother's regimented schedule of cooking, cleaning, mothering, and running errands over three days. The woman earns money by having sex with a different client each afternoon before her son arrives home from school. Like her other activities, Jeanne's prostitution is part of a mundane routine she performs daily by rote. After a visit by a client on the second day, Jeanne's orderly behavior begins to subtly unravel. She overcooks potatoes while preparing dinner, then wanders around the apartment carrying the potato pot. She forgets to put the lid on the porcelain urn in which she keeps her money, forgets to turn off lights in the rooms she leaves, misses a button on her house coat, and drops a newly washed spoon. The alterations to Jeanne's routine continue until her client arrives on the third day. During sex she either has an orgasm or is disgusted by what she is doing, then dresses herself and stabs the man to death with a pair of scissors. She then sits quietly at her dining-room table.

Story added by visno on June 6, 2024