The Left-Handed Woman

Wenders produced this exquisite film written and directed by Peter Handke. "A married woman living in the suburbs of Paris separates from her husband and begins adjusting to a life alone. As the banal particulars of her daily routine proceed in a rigorously poetic fashion, every spoken word and gesture feels deliberate and momentous. With its austere compositions, minimal camera movement, and delicately restrained performances by Edith Clever and Bruno Ganz, The Left-Handed Woman is a powerful meditation on autonomy, self-preservation, and liberation. Handke cited Chantal Akerman as a key influence . . . though [the films of] Yasujiro Ozu seem equally apt (MoMA).