'The Beaches of Agnes' review: A whimsical journey through director Agnes Varda’s life

October 7, 4:59 AMAtlanta Movies ExaminerRyan McNally

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What’s the purpose of looking back on life? In the autobiographical documentary The Beaches of Agnes, influential French director Agnes Varda wrestles with this question as she looks back on her 82 years. And what a life it’s been—mother, wife, feminist, photographer and key member of the French New Wave of filmmaking.

Like many biographies, The Beaches of Agnes starts slowly. Varda begins her film with an elaborate setup involving ornate mirrors and the beach, which is supposed to reflect the landscape of her soul. It’s mildly interesting, but it unfolds slowly and might have had more resonance at movie’s end, once the viewer’s emotional connection with Varda had been better established.

Fortunataly, there’s no shortage of emotional connections to be had in The Beaches of Agnes, starting with Varda’s return to a small town where she shot her first film 50-plus years ago. She meets with two local fishermen whose father appeared in the movie—and then died shortly thereafter—and shows them test footage featuring their dad. They’d seen their father in photos, but never in motion, and it’s the first of many scenes in which Varda recreates and reconnects with her past to powerful effect.

The Beaches of Agnes is filled with quirks that keep it lively and loose, such as showing Varda sitting in an enormous manmade whale and having filmmaker Chris Marker appear only in the guise of his animated cat persona. At one point, the cat asks Varda to talk about her role as “the grandmother of the French New Wave,” and we learn about Varda’s film Cleo From 5 to 7, which played at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival, and her friendship with fellow New Wavers such as Jean-Luc Godard.

Varda was also an accomplished photographer, and her rich images fill the screen throughout The Beaches of Agnes, with subjects ranging from the Black Panthers to feminist rallies to friend and legendary Doors frontman Jim Morrison.

In the ‘70s Varda moved with her husband to Hollywood, rubbing shoulders with the denizens of Venice Beach and battling the studio to cast a then-unknown actor named Harrison Ford, whom the higher-ups insisted would never make it in the business. Again, Varda revisits the scene of past encounters, and her reconnection with people she’s known for decades achieves a poignancy built out of years of friendship and memories.

Varda’s love of life is on fullest display in her interactions with her two children and her memories of her husband, the late filmmaker Jacques Demy, who passed away from AIDS in 1990. Varda’s account of their marriage and Demy’s final years, during which she worked to complete a movie based on his childhood, is at once heartbreaking and inspiring.

Though it occasionally drags, The Beaches of Agnes never falls into the trap of some autobiographies--turning into an ego trip. As Varda expresses in the film’s opening segment, “It’s others who interest me … others who intrigue me, motivate me, make me ask questions, disconcert me, fascinate me.” By inviting us to share her keen interest and insightful observations about the world and people around her, Varda makes The Beaches of Agnes rewarding viewing.

Grade: B

The Beaches of Agnes trailer:

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The Beaches of Agnes opens in Atlanta on October 9 at Landmark’s Midtown Art Cinema.