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The Gleaners and I
FRANCE · 2000

The Gleaners and I

Agnès Varda
waste and consumption poverty and survival social inequality activism and resistance dignity in marginal labor
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Synopsis

Varda focuses her eye on gleaners: those who scour already-reaped fields for the odd potato or turnip. Her investigation leads from forgotten corners of the French countryside to off-hours at the green markets of Paris, following those who insist on finding a use for that which society has cast off, whether out of necessity or activism.

Cinema Atlas Connection
Varda’s documentaries, specifically The Gleaners and I… She shoots on digital, uses a lot of handheld camera, and is often performing in her own films. She’s just so fearless and curious. Her observational style really influenced me for It Felt Like Love because that film was very much about exploring a place and a community through the eyes of a character.
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