J'ai faim, j'ai froid

Two waifs are dropped in Paris one evening, very hungry and with little money. They wander around awhile before the need for cash has them interrupt diners in a restaurant wailing a one word tune. They get the bum's rush but two men agree to pay for their meal with one giving them a place to stay for the night.

"J'ai" looks like a work whose geneses was the result of a boring evening for director Chantal Ackerman and her pals, one with a tapeworm, deciding to make a film on the fly that night. Monotone automatons the girls carry their sober attitude through the evening zombie like before getting in varying ways their needs met. The lifelessness in them extends to the pic overall in what amounts to a nostalgic return to Godardian New Wave with a hungry Stan and moody Ollie as our guides. A Dada like dud.

It is a simple, odd, and experimental short film by the great filmmaker Chantal Akerman. So far, this is definitely the best short film by Akerman that I've ever seen, which isn't much of a surprise considering the fact that I disliked the other Akerman shorts that I've seen. That being said, there isn't much to say about this film.

It was pretty good, but there isn't much to talk about. As I said, it is really weird and experimental, and it is very slow paced at times, so if you don't like any of those traits, then this film is clearly not for you, but I enjoyed it. It is a love story, a comedy, and a slow/experimental piece all in just 12 minutes. No, it isn't a perfect piece of filmmaking, but it is still a fun little short film that won't take up too much of your time.