In 2022, many avid film fans were excitedly waiting for the decennial Sight and Sound list of "The Greatest Films of All Time," one of the most respected lists of its kind. To the surprise of many, however, the number one pick was not the familiar Vertigo or Citizen Kane, but the avant-garde 1975 feminist film Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles. This placement brought more mainstream attention to the incredibly talented and influential director of the film, Chantal Akerman, who even had a fascinating filmmaking career before Jeanne Dielman. This impressive filmography included numerous short films as well as her debut feature, 1974’s Je Tu Il Elle, (or I, You, He, She.)
What Is ‘Je Tu Il Elle’ About?
The first thing that one may notice while watching Je Tu Il Elle is that it is in fact about nothing, at least in the traditional narrative sense. Much like Jeanne Dielman, the film does not have the traditional presentation of a story that audiences may be most familiar with, but is instead divided into three distinct segments: one in which the protagonist (Julie, played by Akerman) eats forlornly out of a bag of sugar and moves her furniture around, one in which Julie talks to and has a brief sexual encounter with a truck driver, and one in which Julie reunites with an ex-lover. If a viewer is anticipating an epic plot twist or some quick-witted lines of dialogue, they will be sorely disappointed, as the film requires not only a lot of patience but a lot of personal analysis. The story of the film, or rather the meaning of the film, is not presented obviously and will be determined based on the meanings each individual viewer projects onto it as they watch it, making it an incredibly unique experience.
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If a film has no traditional plot, the question “what’s the point” is likely to be asked next, and as previously stated, the beauty of the film is the subjectivity of the answer to that. To some viewers, there could be no point, and much like Jeanne Dielman would appear to be a film about a woman doing nothing, Je Tu Il Elle could just be a film about a woman eating out of a bag of sugar and briefly interacting with a few people. For a viewer more open to engaging with the film, however, there are themes to be picked up on, like isolation, sexuality, and grappling with one's own identity, told through a more female-focused lens. The title itself is enigmatic; the most obvious interpretation is that the I is Akerman herself, the You is the viewer, and the He and She are the trucker and the ex-lover respectively, but much like the rest of the film, many other conclusions can be drawn from it, related to psychology, philosophy, art, and more. And once again, therein lies the beauty of the film, how one can either simply view it, try to more objectively analyze it, or engage with it on a more subjective, personal level (a principle that could be applied to most great art).
How Did ‘Je Tu Il Elle’ Influence ‘Jeanne Dielman?’
Je Tu Il Elle also works as a precursor to Akerman’s most famous work, Jeanne Dielman, which was released the following year in 1975. Although not as large in scope or extensive in runtime as Jeanne Dielman, Je Tu Il Elle utilizes the same style of long takes, with the camera holding on certain mundane activities for an extraordinary amount of time. This type of filmmaking encourages engaged viewing, as the seeming lack of action gives way to very subtle details throughout the course of the film that can add more meaning to the characters and the overall piece, as seen in the extensive analyses that have been done of Jeanne Dielman.
Je Tu Il Elle is not a film designed for casual viewing. In fact, it would probably be more at home in a specially designed viewing theater at an art gallery than on the living room TV. But for the viewer who finds experimentation with the form and films designed for varied interpretations to be compelling, this is a piece of film history well worth seeking out.
Je Tu Il Elle (1974)
Je Tu Il Elle follows a young woman's introspective journey as she deals with the emotional aftermath of a breakup. Navigating through isolation and intimate encounters, she reflects on her identity and relationships, grappling with her inner turmoil in a minimalist exploration of longing and personal connection.
- Release Date
- December 27, 1985
- Director
- Chantal Akerman
- Cast
- Chantal Akerman , Niels Arestrup , Claire Wauthion
- Runtime
- 86 Minutes
- Main Genre
- Drama
Je Tu Il Elle is streaming on Max in the U.S.
