A minimalist city symphony, Chantal Akerman’s News from Home pairs strikingly composed, Hopper-esque images of New York City – empty streets, cleared-out diners, and subway cars full of silent passengers – with Akerman’s off-screen readings of letters from her mother, who gives updates on family matters in Belgium, occasionally sends money, and pleads for her daughter’s quick return. One of the great city films, News From Home is also a powerful evocation of the loneliness felt in the absence of family.