Femmes d’Anvers en novembre is a dual projection piece rich in atmosphere and charm, filled with references to early French and American film noir – a deliberate homage, shot in close-up and medium close-up, to the smoking woman. The focus on the everyday activities of women (the core trope of Akerman’s masterpiece Jeanne Dielman) is a recurring theme in much of her work; Femmes d'Anvers signals a return to this motif. In it, Akerman tackles the thorny question of a person’s fundamental freedom to choose what to do with his or her body.