During her last year at age ninety, the prolific and renowned Belgian/French director, Agnès Varda, reflects and philosophizes in her final documentary. The main structure has Varda lecturing young film students in a master class while flashbacks reflect her film career, her history of feminism, and memories of her beloved late husband Jacques Demy, another renowned French director.
It is miraculous that this fine film was completed. To be so energetic at age 90 when it would be a matter of months before her passing, Varda proved to be extraordinary in so many ways. Despite her health, she remained articulate, intelligent, and mobile to the end - despite her admission that she felt pain everywhere.
This film includes moments from her past films plus past video/art installations at museums and outdoor spaces. They all reveal a vast sense of creativity, insight, talent, and ambition with a solid heart at the centre. The film also represents film history as it includes many film clips of Varda's past contemporaries most of whom have predeceased her. There are also enjoyable histories of the hippy movement of the 1960s followed by the feminist movement of the 1970s.
Near the end, there are many clips from Varda's previous film "Faces Places" (2017). At first, it seems these scenes are unnecessarily long. But those film clips lead to a sublime conclusion that is unforgettable, reminding us that Varda was at least as astute about life as she was about cinema and art. This moment is haunting while being a great finishing touch to a great film, a great career, a great life, and a great person. - dbamateurcritic
