Down There

When her producer suggested that she make a film about Israel, Chantal Akerman was not interested. But when she was invited to teach at Tel Aviv University, she took a camera along. As always, Akerman does not choose to do things simply: from a window in her apartment, she shoots the neighboring windows, while in her narration, she reads aloud from her journal that is full of notes on Judaism, cinema, and her family. Down There offers a private point of view, in which the inquisitive camera-work plays a significant role in determining its meditative tones. This type of observation enables viewers to distill meanings of their own from the materials Akerman “unintentionally” collects.