Real time as a source of dread
Jeanne Dielman watches a routine in full until the smallest change feels catastrophic. Gus Van Sant has named it as a model for the long, patient takes of Elephant.
Akerman films Jeanne's day without cutting away: the potatoes, the dishes, the coat on the hook. Because you've watched every minute of the routine, a dropped spoon matters.
Elephant follows students through the corridors of a school in long, unbroken tracking shots on the day of a shooting. Van Sant has cited Akerman alongside Béla Tarr as inspiration for the films he made in that period, including Gerry and Last Days.
Acknowledged by the director