The Gleaners and I

(2000) dir Agnès Varda w/Varda [82 min; 35mm]
With the famous Millet painting of women gathering wheat left over from a harvest as a starting point, Varda focuses her everseeking eye on gleaners: those who scour already-reaped fields for the odd potato or turnip. Her investigation leads us from forgotten corners of the French countryside to off-hours at the markets of Paris, following those who insist on finding a use for that which society has cast off. Varda’s own ruminations on her life as a filmmaker (a gleaner of sorts) give her a connection to her subjects that creates a touching human portrait.

“One of the top 25 films of the 21st century so far… Precious because it’s a perfect example of its own argument – a small thing of nearly incalculable value.” – A.O. Scott, The New York Times