Movie Review – Varda by Agnes

Varda by Agnes (2019)
Written and directed by Agnes Varda

Few of us get to depart from life able to talk about what all those years meant. As a filmmaker, Agnes Varda seemed acutely aware of the sands running through the hourglass, and her last twenty years of filmmaking (ages 70-90) seemed to come out of that urgency. The stories she was telling always connected to her, whether flowing out into the lives of others or having their lives bring up long-forgotten memories from her past. This is why her documentaries during this period feel more communal than ever. Varda is a perfect contemporary example of the wise elder, the sage who imparts their experiences from a life spent in intense thought and conversation. In this final film, released just months after her passing, Varda focuses on three key concepts: inspiration, creation, and sharing.

As with all of Varda’s documentaries, there is a host of ideas she presents. One of which is “cine-writing,” the belief that the camera is akin to a pen, allowing her to draft & revise, all the same things an author of text would do. This is made even more possible through her beloved digital cameras. Someone as spontaneous & free-associating as Varda can spotlight how the digital cinema transformation could have gone. Self-expression becomes more fluid and precise because of the immediacy of these tools. 

These reflections & thoughts are gleaned from her filmography and moments in her life. Her art was not just her job but the conduit through which Varda expressed herself and learned from others. She touches on her crucial developmental period in the States during the late 1960s/early 1970s, where she spent time with the Black Panthers and saw the women’s liberation movement blossoming. Of course, her various interests pop up: cats, beaches, colors, heart-shaped potatoes. Jacques Demy, her late husband, is also part of the story. Varda looks back on making a biographical film about him during Demy’s final year.

Those three critical concepts mentioned above become the structure she uses to discuss her work. The inspirations behind films are discussed, whether they be memories of a place or interest in a person. Creation is spoken about as the challenging part and where the joy happens. Making the films can lead to unexpected frustration, but Varda’s ability to think through them leaves her with happy memories. Varda shines the strongest in sharing because sharing is not a one-way process for her. 

In sharing her work, she seeks to have others share with her. She references the sequence in Faces Places, where a passerby voices his disgust with how some goats are treated by having their horns burned off. He remarks that the goats have horns for a reason; it is a part of their nature. This sends Varda off into another area of exploration, about freedom & the way humans have their horns metaphorically burnt off to become more docile.

I admire Varda’s complete humility, unafraid to be silly in public ways and not have her ego bruised. I feel a lot of insecurity when the focus is on me, and it’s worse when that attention comes from an act that could be perceived as embarrassing. She shares a video from an art display where her beloved heart-shaped potatoes were exhibited with other multimedia projects. Varda explains that she decided to participate in the show’s opening by dressing as a potato, standing outside the exhibit, and dancing. In an age where we’re so inculcated with detached irony and want to view any earnest expression as a “cringe,” it’s refreshing to see Varda just going along with a silly idea she had. 

I see that earnest nature in young people. In this way, Varda feels “ahead of her time”; in fact, we and our parents’ generation and grandparents were out of sync with humanity. The cracks are forming, though. It’s seen in the variety of gender expressions that are emerging. They were always there, but we were indoctrinated to see them as a “fad” or “recent aberration.” History says otherwise. To be so self-conscious as to have crippling anxiety is not a natural state of being; it is one instructed into us. Through one corner of its mouth, society says, “Be yourself,” and through the other, it demands we comply. This is not a state people can exist in for very long, and it is thankfully crumbling before our eyes. I look back at how I was educated to hold disdain for those who were different.

This is what sets Varda apart. She had tremendous empathy not only for others but also for herself. She didn’t judge herself for indulging in something small & silly; dressing up as a potato meant nothing but an expression of Varda’s pride in her work. The work she did in cinema was predicting so many things to come. Cleo From 5 to 7 looks like something made by a Zoomer, kinetic & constantly trying new things. 

There are now more films than ever before coming out every year. The films that get the most attention are often the least deserving; they receive so much buzz because they are financially backed by some of the largest corporate entities to ever exist on this planet. This has resulted in factory-produced movies. Spectacle & scale have always been part of the appeal to get Americans in the theaters, but I liked that this year, that lure has begun to fade. The big mega-blockbuster IPs didn’t come close to making their projected earnings. However, films like Barbie & Super Mario were massive successes, so now you can read through the trades and see how Hollywood’s financial elements are shifting from superhero IPs to toys & video games. Even among American film festivals, so much of the fare being presented feels flat, unable to rise above a suffocating blandness.

If ever the world needed a Varda, it is now. I still find hope in international cinema, i.e., those movies outside the States. My favorite films of the last few years have been from countries like South Korea, Japan, France, the UK, South America, and more. I am weird. I don’t go to movies to escape but to see something new about being a human. I want to see the world from another’s perspective and come away with my mind buzzing. I watch most Hollywood films and feel I’ve been administered cinematic novocaine. I’m just numb and feel nothing when the end credits roll. If reincarnation exists, may we be visited by Varda again and soon!