Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1976)

Cooking, cleaning and paid visits from men fit into a widow's carefully managed household routine. Chantal Akerman's long, steady shots teach you its rhythm before small disturbances start to matter. Delphine Seyrig makes a minute hesitation consequential because the surrounding work has been given its full weight. Allow about three hours and twenty minutes. The repetition can be taxing, and the film grows disturbing, but its insight into the effort of maintaining an ordinary life depends on the time it asks you to share.