#1: Jeanne Dielman VS The Deer Hunter
Moving to Brussels and starting a newsletter
New beginnings can be tough, if you are lucky.
If you are reading this newsletter, you are either a close friend of mine or family. Now, If you are a really close friend of mine, you also understand why I picked this title for this first post.
I will come back later to this.
1. Why this, why now? Why Brussels?
Because, why not? Seriously. Starting anew next month or next year would not really add any value.
Why now? I guess it’s more a decision of mental space availability. My purpose is to create a public diary, a space to share and get ideas about things that matter (to me).
I moved to Brussels a couple of weeks ago. Again, not for any specific reason. Working remotely since the pandemic (running a company that i co-founded along with a friend and colleague), so i am experimenting with different working locations and settings. Feeling grateful for the flexibility. Feeling nervous at the same time.
2. What is this newsletter going to be about?
Remember the Seinfeld show? A show about nothing…
This newsletter is going to be about something; things that go through my mind or that I come across and think are worth sharing. This can and will definitely include elements and seeds from some passions of mine including: arts (primarily cinema), science, physical & mental well being and business/entrepreneurship.
In terms of frequency, I want to be realistic so let’s start with a weekly newsletter.
3. Back to the title
My idea is that each issue has a title taken directly from a movie that means something to me. For this one I have picked Chantal Ackerman’s film, Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles. This movie follows Jeanne, the protagonist, in her daily chores and activities in and around her apartment in the center of Brussels. It’s a tough one to watch, more than 3 hours long movie and definitely not for everyone.
Why is it important? I hear you ask.
Because recently, the BFI (British Film Institute) released its list of the best films of all time and this movie was ranked #1. This is the fist time a movie from a female creator appears on the top 10 of the sight and vision magazine. I cant help but feel deep admiration for the director, who in a film that depicts women’s oppression, manages to ultimately transform cinema itself into a pure liberating force.
Second reason is that the flat that I am renting in Brussels is at the exact same address as Jeanne lived in the movie: 23, Quai du Commerce… (Its a very unique and funny feeling to watch the #1 movie of all time and recognize your own building entrance and elevator in it).
Few days earlier…
I am sitting in the first row (the theater is full on a Sunday evening) to watch The Deer Hunter. Another 3 hour movie. I find myself breathing heavily and agonizing together with Nick (Christopher Walken) in the Russian roulette scene. The intensity of the scene makes me hold my breath, thinking that every shot could be the last one. How could someone write a scene like that? I wonder.
Below is the scripted version of the scene.
As each one passes the gun to the other they have to anticipate that they’re gonna watch their best friend’s head blow off, with each click of the gun their bond is cemented even more.
Jodie Foster
4. Running a company
These two movies struck me, not only for their technical profoundness and magnificently unique delivery. You see, one of my main and recurring challenges as a startup co-founder and as a human has been to juggle and balance between things that are urgent and important and things that are non urgent but still important (Eisenhower Box).
The Deer Hunter for me is this vision of urgency. The heat, the sweat, the adrenaline that is released when the only motivation is simply staying alive, pure survival. Waking up from bed, drinking water, doing the taxes, surviving another round of Russian roulette.
Jeanne Dielman also does stuff that can be considered as urgent, in the sense that she is mainly focused on house chores, cooking, making the beds, preparing coffee, pealing potatoes and pleasing her son and her “clients”. However the movie does not have this feeling of urgency. It is slow, repetitive and in total control, even when Jeanne is obviously not (in control).
I think we all juggle between these two rhythms. Being stuck inside one of the two is what causes problems, most of the times. It’s not difficult to relate to or understand the urgency in two guys in Vietnam playing Russian roulette to save their lives. However, what Jeanne Dielman is doing does not seem to have any obvious motivation or urgency. She just keeps going. Keeps cleaning, keeps going back and forth in the house. But if one looks closer, there is something quite interesting going on:
Jeanne Dielman is pealing each potato as if the entire world depended on it.
In a way she is playing the same twisted game as Nick and Michael in that filthy wooden cage in Vietnam.
Even if the stakes are lower, giving attention to non urgent but equally important stuff is crucial.
In my working day, I try to spend the (early) mornings focusing on the Jeanne Dielman kind of tasks (while it is still quiet and there are no emails or other sort of external requests). Later in the day, when the emails and meetings start coming in, it’s time for Deer Hunting and bullet dodging. I have found that this technique works best for me and perhaps for other fellow humans.
P.S. This concept of the urgent vs important is quite popular in the Agile development world, but for those who want to learn more, I can recommend these resources:
This episode of the Lebenspraxis podcast - that discusses this under the prism of morning routine optimization.
This article explaining the Eisenhower Box by one of my favorite thinkers out there - James Clear.
Thanks for reading till the end!
Until next time,
Nikolas