MovieChat Forums > Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1976) Discussion > Odd reaction or the norm?

Odd reaction or the norm?

posted 9 years ago by jonhopper217
2 replies | jump to latest

I was pretty bored, but for 3 hours and 21 minutes of daily life, the movie actually goes pretty quickly. Was I the only one that felt this way? I must admit, the length has me thinking about the end more and the possible metaphors, but the reality is, this is so many people's lives, especially older people. I am only 44, probably about the same age as Jeanne Dielman, but I felt almost ashamed at some of the routines I find myself in and I go out of my way, consciously, to avoid them.

Finally, to my subject title. Did anyone just simply like this film? I didn't hate it, nor did I love it. I wasn't unimpressed, but I was far from impressed. It was just sorta there.

[–] bob998 9 years ago

Routines? Not so much routines as obsessive repetition of daily chores, and the inability Jeanne displays to think beyond the daily routine. I'm at least 30 years older than this woman, but I don't find myself as stuck in routine as she was.

[–] jonhopper217 9 years ago

It's been a while since I viewed the film, but watching my father, who is 81 obsess over his routines os painful. He is at the point where a single phone call in the middle of his breakfast, will throw off the entire day, maybe even the next two or three. He has no known physical or mental handicaps, but he has programmed himself to expect things. Even weather, throws his mood off to such a degree, malaise of even depression instantly sets in, if the sun isn't shining when he wakes. Trying to accommodate someone like that, even for one day is painful.