Agnès Varda's 'The Gleaners and I' (2000)

On this episode, I talk about Agnès Varda's 2000 documentary, "The Gleaners and I." It looks at people who glean in modern society, whether in the fields, at orchards, or after the markets have closed in Paris. With her camera, Varda inserts herself into the film, reflecting on ageing and how she gleans images. I talk about Varda's presence in the film, how she critiques the wastefulness in society, and why the film remains deeply relevant. I also include a discussion of the follow-up documentary she made in 2002, called "The Gleaners and I: Two Years Later" and how it's a powerful look at the afterlife that a film can have.

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Original logo by Dhiyanah Hassan

Full Show Notes:

The Gleaners and I: Two Years Later (2002)
My episode on Cleo From 5 to 7
My episode on Vagabond
60 Minutes segment on E-Waste
China won't take our recycling
Pressing On: The Letterpress Film
My episode on I, Daniel Blake
Monty Don's French Gardens
My episode on The Secret Garden
Who Killed My Father by Edouard Louis

All My Sources:

Agnès Varda’s Films Made the Invisible Visible (The Atlantic)
Decade: Agnes Varda on “The Gleaners and I” (IndieWire)
2001 Interview with The Guardian
Agnès Varda's last interview: 'I fought for radical cinema all my life' (The Guardian)
“Curiosity is a good thing”: An Interview with Agnès Varda (Cleo Journal)
An Interview with Agnes Varda (The Believer Magazine)
Trash And Treasure: The Gleaners And I (Senses of Cinema)
The Cinema of Agnès Varda: Resistance and Eclecticism by Delphine Benezet
Agnes Varda: Between Film, Photography, and Art by Rebecca DeRoo
Gendered Frames, Embodied Cameras: Varda, Akerman, Cabrera, Calle, and Maïwenn by Cybelle H. McFadden