Je, tu, il elle ¹⁹⁷⁴

In her daring feature debut Je, tu, il, elle (1974), Chantal Akerman immediately sets the tone: radical, intimate and uncompromisingly personal. In three separate chapters, we follow a young woman (played by Akerman herself) who first voluntarily locks herself in an empty room, then hitchhikes with a stranger, and finally spends a night with an ex-lover. What begins as a study in seclusion grows into a raw, physical exploration of desire, intimacy and queer identity.

Chantal Akerman (1950–2015) was a groundbreaking Belgian filmmaker and artist, known for her radical and personal film style. Inspired by Godard at a young age, she developed a unique cinematic signature from the 1970s onwards, in which time, space and the everyday are central. Her international breakthrough came with Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975), which has since been declared the greatest film of all time (Sight & Sound, 2022). Akerman made more than fifty films, ranging from fiction to documentary and installation art, and is internationally renowned for her influence on feminist and queer cinema. Her work explores themes such as identity, memory, desire and autonomy, and continues to inspire generations of filmmakers to this day.

Introduction by Dana Linsen Dana Linssen is a film critic for NRC since 1997, former editor-in-chief of Filmkrant (1998-2019), teacher and philosopher. As founder of the Slow Criticism Project, she organizes interventions as a counterbalance to the commodification of film journalism. She is known for her sharp analyses and passion for cinema as an art form. With her expertise and enthusiasm, Dana knows how to inspire you to look at film with a fresh perspective.