Les plages d'Agnès

The French movie Les plages d'Agnès was shown in the U.S. with the title The Beaches of Agnès (2008). It was directed by Agnès Varda.

This is a summing up movie, completed by Varda when she was 80 years old. It's really a semi-documentary, but it includes surreal elements that Varda interweaves with commentary, historical movie clips, and direct discussions with the us, the audience.

If you're an Agnès Varda fan, this movie will be perfect. If you've never seen a Varda film, it may not make much sense. Even so, it's interesting, funny, and poignant. If you're not sure, take a chance on it.

We saw the movie at the excellent Dryden Theatre in the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, NY. It was part of an Agnès Varda retrospective, cosponsored by Rochester Institute of Technology and the Eastman Museum. It will work better on the large screen, but it will be satisfactory on the small screen as well.