The year after she made Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, the great Chantal Akerman made this gem of a film. Though called a “documentary,” the film is clearly very personal for Akerman and feels more like an experiment than a straight doc. Having lived in New York City in the early ‘70s, Akerman returned to shoot this mesmerizing piece, which comprises formal, composed, long takes of New York City in all its distressed 1976 glory. Over these gritty scenes, Akerman quietly reads letters sent by her mother during her time in New York. The result, if you’re open to it, is quite staggering—the juxtaposition of the cold, bleak (yet oddly beautiful) city and the intimate, personal missives creates a tension all its own, offering a unique statement on the connection between urban and familial dislocation.