I am listening to Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks at this very moment and have indulged many times afore. I feel groovy, magical, mystical: transported. Mmmmmm.

This collection of seven documentary shorts is tall on diversity. The wide-ranging subject matter includes such intriguing themes as: a business for cleaning up gory crime scenes; the congregation, in public, of hundreds of people meditating by laughing their saris off; and the unlikley, iconic status of a lone telephone booth in the middle of the desert. The fascinating characters include four gorgeous, old dolls who grant us with a candid (and at times tawdry) glimpse at their younger selves and, later, a few of the colorful residents of the last flophouse still operating in The Bowery. We are also confronted with the heart-wrenching reality of a family in crisis and asked to briefly consider the relative obscurity of a take-one girl.

The material is varied, fresh, and ultra-quirky, and it is presented in a raw, unscripted manner which I thoroughly appreciated.

I just happened to come across this at the video store having never even heard of the show (I am still sans cable!). I tend to enjoy British comedy, so I thought I’d give it a shot. I must admit that at first I couldn’t imagine any other character in the history of the world (except, perhaps, Roseanne Barr) being more annoying, but I persevered and I am SO glad that I did. Once I got used to hearing the word “dahling” at the end of every other line, I fell in love with the characters and laughed my erm…socks off.

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.

An excellent film for any age. I don’t usually go in for so-called kids’ movies, but this is definitely an exception and one that I highly recommend.