This film is a remarkable reflection by filmmaker Agnes Varda on her life, both personal and professional.
The Beaches of Agnes is visually complex to an impressive degree—Varda layers images from previous films over reenactments of events from her childhood, relayed through mirrors and frames, filtered through even more layers of images, sometimes with commentary from a cartoon cat said to represent the voice of a famous filmmaker of the French New Wave, of which Varda was a part. A mixture of whimsical and tragic, strange and yet strikingly familiar, none of the imagery or commentary can be said to operate around a central theme. Except perhaps the tricky tendencies of memory.
Events and images overlap, temporality is unclear, symbols and metaphors recur but their meanings shift and change. Varda herself provides fewer answers than questions; she makes no pretense of guiding the viewer on a tour of her career or her life, but rather works through her musings on life on her own time. What she shares with us is not a neat autobiography, but rather a collage of the thoughts that might cross through her mind when she thinks back on where she’s been.
What this all amounts to is a movie that requires thought, through and through. Should you choose to spend your time contemplating Varda’s, you may come away feeling lost, puzzled, or perplexed.
This film also, on some level, requires knowledge of Varda’s work—a oeuvre of which a sadly small number of people have knowledge. If you are interested in checking out her movies, which I highly suggest, skim her imdb profile for releases that interest you. Her Cleo from 5 to 7 made it onto my top ten list a while back, but she has many other gems to offer. Some are available on Netflix, and more are coming soon thanks to the Criterion Collection’s recent-ish release of a box set of her films.
Even if you haven’t seen her movies, I think you should still check this one out at your local art house theater, or at least snag it when it comes to DVD.
A truly rare, sincere intervention into memory, film, and life.
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What did you think about the role that her deceased partner played in the film?
ReplyDeleteThat was one of the main parts people were talking about on the panel I attended.
I didn't think that there was too much focus on Jacques Demy. About as much as you would expect from a woman who was married to this guy forever, they were apart for some time, and then they got back together in an apparently glorious reunion. She was very sad about it. However, she talked about him as part of her own life, not her life as part of his, for sure.
ReplyDeleteShe showed that he had been very important to her, but that she had been very independent throughout.
I think the cartoon cat who was supposed to represent the voice of either Chris Marker or Alain Resnais (I'm kicking myself because I can't remember which) had a bigger role to play than Demy.
Varda loves cats and I love Varda! I wish she was my great aunt. :)