Documentaries are a discipline that teaches modesty.

Agnès Varda is probably the most energetic and underrated of the directors of the French New Wave. In The Gleaners and I she makes a magical documentary that simultaneously feels casual (and causal) and playful and yet carefully and precisely constructed. Varda picked up a new digital camera and explored the possibilities with an energy and intensity that shows a deep and abiding love (and respect) for cinema as well as people.
The editing is remarkable as we follow those who glean and pick things up that have been abandoned as we also meet those who have been abandonded by society. A great film makes you see the world in a whole new way and I was surprised and moved by Varda’s gentle look at the world through her camera.

This is a touching, engrossing film that focuses on the subject of “gleaning.” In the beginning we learn of ‘The Gleaners’ in their historical context, something I had never heard of and would never have imagined being at all interesting (I was wrong!). Varda, the director, then expands upon this notion of gleaning to its application in the modern world. We are introduced to so-called “junk” collectors some of whom are artists on a mission to uncover new/unique/marvelous materials and subject matter, others who are simply trying to get by—to feed themselves and their families, and survivalists/minimalists who are making a valiant effort to sustain themselves without over-consuming.

The characters are hypnotic and the film is presented artistically yet simply and with a soul-searching feel to it; I was mesmerized from beginning to end.