VARDA BY AGNÈS
The final film by Agnès Varda, this documentary finds the legendary director reexamining her captivating life, storied career, and the fascinating interplay between the two.
Premiering at the Berlin Film Festival just over a month before Agnès Varda’s death at the age of 90, this charming doc gives viewers a final opportunity to experience the ever-introspective filmmaker’s assessment of her life and work, in her own words. A series of lectures that Varda delivered to audiences in France and the USA forms the backbone of the film. Part cinematic masterclass, part live director’s commentary, and part memoir, these talks allowed the director to discuss her career alongside a wealth of clips from six decades worth of creative adventure. Often drawing fascinating connections between seemingly disparate works, Varda highlights the significant preoccupations and themes that have run throughout her remarkably diverse career, including her feminist ideals, her concern for the lives of society’s lower class, and her love for her late husband Jacques Demy. She’s as likely to focus on her supposed failures as her revered classics, and draws valuable attention to her often-overlooked work in still photography and installation art. While an awareness of mortality runs throughout the film, Varda by Agnès is a triumphant and ultimately joyful testament to the filmmaker’s endless curiosity and unshakeable energy.
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