Akermania, Volume One

Of the three shorts from Belgian filmmaker Chantal Akerman collected on this video, only the opener "I'm Hungry, I'm Cold" is worth the watching. The story of a pair of Belgian teenagers who run away to Paris looking for love, "I'm Hungry" is a fairly witty reminder that creature comforts such as shelter and food must take priority over luxuries like love. The second short, "Blow Up My Town," is typical teenage angst self-indulgence made when the filmmaker was 18, and the final short "Hotel Monterey," made in 1972, is an experimental silent film comprised of shots of hallways and elevator doors opening and closing and the lobby and...if you thought watching grass grow ranked rather low on the joy scale, check this out. Not recommended. (Available from most distributors.)