A Belgian housewife’s ordered routine unravels in Chantal Akerman’s hypnotic portrait of domesticity, repression and rebellion.

Southend CineScene Presents: JEANNE DIELMAN, 23 QUAI DU COMMERCE, 1080 BRUXELLES (1975)In celebration of International Women’s Day, Southend CineScene presents a landmark of feminist cinema that transforms the everyday into something extraordinary.

Chantal Akerman’s Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles.

Widely regarded as a landmark of feminist filmmaking, this quietly radical masterpiece invites us into the meticulously ordered daily life of Jeanne Dielman, a widowed mother living with her teenage son in a modest Brussels apartment. Through a series of carefully observed domestic rituals , preparing meals, making beds, shopping and carrying out household chores, we witness the rhythms of a life governed by routine, duty and unspoken sacrifice.

But beneath the surface of Jeanne’s seemingly ordinary existence, something begins to shift. As small disruptions creep into her carefully structured days, the familiar patterns of her life start to unravel, leading towards an increasingly unsettling and unexpected conclusion.

Directed by Belgian filmmaker Chantal Akerman when she was just 25, the film is renowned for its patient pacing, fixed camera compositions and radical attention to the details of everyday life. Rather than following conventional cinematic storytelling, Akerman transforms the mundane into something mesmerising, revealing the hidden tensions and emotional weight embedded in domestic labour and social expectations.

Frequently celebrated for its groundbreaking portrayal of women's lives, Jeanne Dielman challenges us to reconsider what cinema can be, whose stories deserve to be told, and what lies beneath the surface of the everyday. Its influence continues to resonate with filmmakers and audiences alike, and its reputation as one of the defining works of modern cinema has only grown over time.

This is cinema that asks you to slow down, look closer and experience the extraordinary within the ordinary.

Join Southend CineScene for an opportunity to experience this landmark work on the big screen, and discover why Jeanne Dielman remains such a compelling, challenging and essential film.

Please note: The film has a runtime of approximately 3 hours 21 minutes. Its deliberately slow, observational style is central to the experience.

Description supplied by the event organiser.