Thanks to @criterionchannl I watched the new top spot holder in Sight and Sound's greatest movie list: Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles. Directed by Chantal Akerman and starring Delphine Seyrig.
Is it the greatest? I don't know. It is worthy of being at the top of this list? Absolutely. As much as any other great film.
It is not a film I would necessarily recommend to anyone who is not already an ardent film buff. It is challenging but the accusation of tediousness falls away and it is ultimately a rewarding viewing experience.
Two things drove that for me. First, Akerman's dedication to the pace, not hurrying when I suspected she might begin to cut corners. She keeps to her vision.
Second, the magnificent performance by Delphine Seyrig. At no point did she appear to lapse or grow bored or phone it in. I found myself falling into the rhythm of watching her make the beds, shine her son's shoes, prepare veal cutlets, all the mundanities of life. Then as it all began to unravel, her routine disrupted in escalating ways (she didn't turn off the light, she left the window open, she didn't wipe the newly shined shoes) to be fascinating in terms of detail.
A remarkable achievement. Very glad I watched it.
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Ask three young men what their plans are for Christmas - silence on the family WhatsApp. Ask them for alternative top 10s after the #SightandSoundPoll2022 …a deluge of commentary …..

@Nomad93

'Never one to do things the official way, Langlois sent a list of eight topped by a set of shorts: “Chaplin’s 1916 films.” Lindsay Anderson, who sent 16 titles, admitted to cheating, but “isn’t the question itself,” he parried back, “a bit of a cheat?”'

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@Nomad93

OUT.

The Wild Bunch
=84. Fanny and Alexander
=84. The Color of Pomegranates
=81. Lawrence of Arabia
=81. The Magnificent Ambersons
=78. Chinatown
=73. Nashville
=73. Le grande illusion
=73. Les enfants du paradise
=73. L’eclisse
=63. Wild Strawberries

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