It's been about an hour since the final voice message played and this film closed and I sit here absolutely floored by the power of Chantal Akerman's cinema. Her work specifically in the 70s has become something of great importance to me personally. Her films in this period are formally rigorous, pushing the form into areas that I'm not sure had been approached yet and it's a shame that nobody remembers her for anything other than Jeanne Dielman. Les Rendez-vous d’Anna is a deeply personal kind of autobiographical tale. Anna moves through cities showing her films having short encounters with strangers, friends and family and each scene is filled with a kind of unknowing sadness that seeps through. Anna is a person who is still trying to find a way to be happy. Strangers tell her it's attainable by living in certain areas and family tells her it's found in marriage and children. Anna doesn't seem to want any of these things or she's unsure. She has one moment of happiness when she recounts a lesbian encounter to her mother. In that moment she is in the embrace of someone who will listen to her instead of talking themselves. Her moment with her mom makes her forget about that loneliness and finally have something resembling clarity. It's a powerful scene in a film already full of great moments. Chantal Akerman's work in the seventies was something of a marvel and should really be looked at more closely. She told these stories that were distinctly feminine and also personal with News From Home, Anna, Jeanne Dielman, and Ju, Tu, Il, Elle. Anna is maybe the best of these.
