Varda por Agnès

A look at the cinematic process of film making from the perspective of one of the worlds greatest female directors. This documentary is a gem, with Varda highlighting some of her best cinematic works, as well as a few failures. The viewer is taken on a journey through her life, from its humble beginnings to working with her husband Jaques Demy. We are shown vast projects involving art, still photos and cinematic sculptures that are sure to dazzle the viewer.

During her last year at age ninety, the prolific and renowned Belgian/French director, Agnès Varda, reflects and philosophizes in her final documentary. The main structure has Varda lecturing young film students in a master class while flashbacks reflect her film career, her history of feminism, and memories of her beloved late husband Jacques Demy, another renowned French director.

It is miraculous that this fine film was completed. To be so energetic at age 90 when it would be a matter of months before her passing, Varda proved to be extraordinary in so many ways. Despite her health, she remained articulate, intelligent, and mobile to the end - despite her admission that she felt pain everywhere.

This film includes moments from her past films plus past video/art installations at museums and outdoor spaces. They all reveal a vast sense of creativity, insight, talent, and ambition with a solid heart at the centre. The film also represents film history as it includes many film clips of Varda's past contemporaries most of whom have predeceased her. There are also enjoyable histories of the hippy movement of the 1960s followed by the feminist movement of the 1970s.

Near the end, there are many clips from Varda's previous film "Faces Places" (2017). At first, it seems these scenes are unnecessarily long. But those film clips lead to a sublime conclusion that is unforgettable, reminding us that Varda was at least as astute about life as she was about cinema and art. This moment is haunting while being a great finishing touch to a great film, a great career, a great life, and a great person. - dbamateurcritic

Such a beautiful and unique person who cannot help but inspire one to live with passion and joy. This film is so special not only because there's nothing quite like it but also because it contains such a breath of emotion that blows right out of the screen and into one's heart.

It's funny how my favorite movie of Agnes Varda ended up being the one about all her movies. It is such a love letter to cinema that it's impossible not to move any film lover. I like many of her movies, especially the documentaries. She had what I would call a very creative pragmatism about making her movies that made them easy to watch and at the same time challenging and interesting. Here it's no different as she looks back at her movies and at her life giving what feels like a very honest take of it all. And it's just incredible that this ended up being her last movie, an unforgettable epilogue to a very influential life.

Unfamiliar with Agnes Varda's cinematography, this autobiographical and auto-critical work was a very welcoming entry into this charming artist's filmography. She uses footage from different events she attended and various clips that look back at her remarkable life and career. If she wouldn't have passed away recently, this wouldn't have been the director's final film. Seeing her driven by everything that touches her and inspired by even the most plain objects, makes me believe she had so much more to show us.

She tells us about her fear of turning 80, and her visualising that number as a train heading towards her, not able to stop it. After turning 90 years old, she can't stop laughing at that panic. When her eyesight problems got resolved, she decided to make Academy Award nominated documentary Faces Places with photographer JR. But not all of her films where a success and she mentions earlier box office flop One Hundred and One Nights starring Robert De Niro, for which he filmed his scenes in one day while he recites his phonetically learned French lines. It never really bothered her and she always kept moving forward and doing her own thing.

Looking back at older works of Varda, we also get some former cast members sitting down and discussing their collaborations with the iconic director and how they felt on set. Her in 1985 released film Vagabond, starred the then 17-year-old Sandrine Bonnaire, who remembers how rude Agnes was on location, when she showed the director the blisters on her hand because of her method-acting while playing a homeless traveler. To which Varda admits "I should have licked them!". They have nothing but praise for each other, while sitting cosy under a blanket on a camera dolly.

Watching this history piece on Varda's filmography and earlier career as a photographer, I can't feel anything but respect. When she tries to explain her love for doco-realism - supported by clips of her Cleo from 5 to 7, where we see pedestrians reacting to her imaginary character walking through the streets of Paris - I can't believe I've never seen any of her previous work. It just shows, there's still so much to be discovered and there's talent out there that have a personal eye on the world that could add an extra layer on mixing everyday life with dreams.

Her energy is laid back yet dynamic, while there's a certain calmness to her perception on life. She's not this old lady, she's that old lady that doesn't seem to age - as if she's lived multiple lives before and just knows how to deal with an ever-changing world. Normal situations seem to change into magical fantasy worlds in her hands and I for sure can't wait to check out the rest of her oeuvre.