Faces Places Analysis

Faces Places (2017)

Directed by: Agnès Varda and JR

A filmmaker, Agnes Varda and a photographer JR, embark on a journey together to meet people, capture their portraits and paste them on the surroundings. This could easily be the most beautiful film I've seen this year. This film is made by an 88-year old Agnes Varda, and it's so inspiring to see that someone at that age wanting to embrace the beauty of life. I've always thought of elderly people as "boring", patronizing, and who aren't impressed by anything; which they could be and I've always been concerned about how short youth could be - where we want to enjoy life to the fullest. But after watching this film, I've a belief that life could be enjoyed and lived till the time you die. I've already felt that by watching Woody Allen's films - but this film has inspired me to want to live for 100 years. When the world of a film inspires you so much, you can't talk about the characters, scenes - you're just in awe of the world and here, the world is life. I'm purely in awe of the beauty of life right now, and we need films like this once in a while to lift our spirits. Getting inspired by something, and looking forward to things in life, I think, are the best feelings one can experience and Agnes has both these qualities, which come through in the film as well.

It broke my heart when I read on her Wikipedia "Agnes Varda was a French film director..." - yes she passed away last year, and I'm so grateful that she made this film, and another film 'Varda by Agnes' before she passed. She has made 24 features, and some shorts too - I hope I can find them somewhere. Talking about Agnes, she never looks at him in a patronizing way - she is equally inspired as him in the journey. 

Spoiler Alert: When she says that they're going to meet Godard, I was so excited and I was myself surprised and even I felt so disheartened when he didn't turn up - and when JR asks her if Godard is trying to break the narrative of her film, I laughed out loud because she would've told him that they'll be filming it.