Chantal Akerman’s 1975 film Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles is a universally acclaimed masterpiece, though very few non-cinephiles have seen or even heard of it. A 200-minute behemoth of avant-garde feminist cinema, it follows the quotidian tedium of a widowed mother as she manages her chores and occasional sex work, slowly unraveling and culminating in a sudden murder.
In 2022, the cult classic was crowned as the “greatest film of all time” in the prestigious Sight and Sound poll conducted by the British Film Institute, a coveted title formerly held by the likes of Bicycle Thieves, Citizen Cane, and Vertigo. A year later, the late Chantal Akerman and her famous character Jeanne Dielman (painstakingly portrayed by Delphine Seyrig) were honored in Brussels with a new mural.
Created by Spanish artist Alba Fabre Sacristán, the mural reimagines a scene from the film in a muted watercolor style. Though the location is a little off, it’s quite close to the address where the fictional Jeanne once lived — only five minutes apart, give or take.
