Is traveling through Europe too expensive? Then hop aboard a train with the Deep Cut trio and Chantal Akerman for another sensitive, lightly autobiographical story of a surrogate character experiencing ennui and/or despair. Along the road trip, there’s sex, ‘70s outfits, and… windows. Ultimately, we struggle to decide: how well can we know Akerman through her work (or, for that matter, anyone)?

Meet Ben, Wilson, and Eli (kinda) at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

03:46 Summary

04:27 General reactions

11:33 Jeanne Dielman vs The Meetings of Anna

16:39 Mom and Akerman herself

22:37 Plot sequence and Akerman’s subjectivity

30:32 Other Akerman films

34:20 Akerman and loneliness

37:39 Ending

40:12 Sex

43:29 Singing

We are joined by none other than friend of the pod and the artist behind all of our DC covers, Justina Yam! Justina comes on the podcast to take us back to the works of Chantal Akerman, with her first feature Je Tu Il Elle. Justina talks about her personal connection to Akerman’s films, and discusses how she continues to play with time in her filmography. Wilson and Eli talk about expressions through body language and narration, and Ben has a theory about Je Tu Il Elle being a non-linear film.

Do you want DC merch? Tell us on the Discord!

Links:

Justina’s Instagram

Justina’s recent photojournalism project: 風流 (Feng Liu)

Ira Sachs on Je Tu Il Elle

Eat sugar at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com

Timestamps:

00:00:00 Intro

00:01:44 Introducing Justina Yam

00:07:09 Je tu il elle introduction

00:08:04 General thoughts on Je Tu Il Elle from Justina and Wilson

00:13:21 General context of the film

00:15:27 General reactions from Ben and Eli

00:18:09 Sugar? Long Takes?

00:20:56 Feminism and Akerman

00:23:30 The three act structure

00:27:44 Blocking and the body

00:34:06 Long takes

00:36:42 Sex scenes

00:41:43 Autobiographical nature of the film

00:47:16 Temporality

00:53:49 The ending and career context

00:58:49 Discomfort within Akerman’s cinema

01:04:03 Outro

Ben got a chance to interview director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke for his film A Useful Ghost (2025) that played at the 36th Singapore International Film Festival, where it also won the Special Mention Prize for the Asian Feature Film Competition.

Learn about Boonbunchachoke’s creative process, how he developed the story, and his approach to filmmaking as a whole that tends towards artificiality, deadpan humour and an engagement with history.

Special thanks to the SGIFF team for helping us with securing an interview time/location, and to Momo Film Co, the film’s Singapore co-production team for helping to coordinate the interview.

Suck less at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

02:47 Reception

04:00 Queer readings

07:39 Developing story and themes

12:02 Political / historical references

13:24 History, memory, surveillance

18:19 Artificiality, worldbuilding, craft

25:36 Spoilers: Frame story

27:25 Spoilers: Ending

31:43 Other appliance candidates

33:42 Upcoming work

34:35 Outro