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Gleaners
and I
Directed by Agnès Varda Starring Cast Bodan Litnanski, Agnès Varda, François Wertheimer An antidote for the malaise of summertime movies awaits you. There, you can enjoy the delightful and unconventional documentary Gleaners and I. Directed by Agnes Varda, one of the few female figures in the French New Wave and still going strong in her mid-70s, the film is a thoughtful and provocative look at gleaning. "Gleaning?" you ask. Can that possibly be worth 8 minutes, much less the 82 it receives here? In Varda's hands, the answer is a resounding 'yes.' Using a digital camera, Varda explores the cities and countryside of France, interviewing a variety of contemporary gleaners and ruminating on the uses of an ancient practice in a post-agrarian society. She reflects on the gendered aspect of gleaning as well as its legal and moral aspects. In a nation of plenty, what are we to make of all the food that goes to waste? In a society based on private property, how do we handle those who want to make use of what others leave behind? Those questions might seem academic, but Varda's interviews are so fascinating that you'll be absorbed from the first scene. She also has a wonderfully dry and self-deprecating sense of humor that does wonders to liven the film. When she ponders her own role as a documentarian (a gleaner of images) or her onsetting old age, the result is delightful rather than self-indulgent. And her affection for her subjects is palpable; when she interviews a down-and-out alcoholic who rummages through the garbage, she invests him with a dignity that few others would. Varda's use of digital video is also captivating. Though it doesn't have the richness or texture of film, the camera's light weight is perfect for capturing the images she wants. In one scene, she records all of the passing trucks on a highway, using her hand to frame the action. In another scene, she records various paintings of gleaners in a Paris art museum. Gleaners and I won the Golden Hugo for best documentary at last year's Chicago Film Festival. It might not be for everyone, as it's a quirky little movie. But to quote one of the film's subjects, for the adventurous "a cluster of junk becomes a cluster of possibilities." J. Robert Parks 5/18/2001
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