The Gleaners and I

When I first began to watch the Gleaners and I, directed by Agnes Varda in 2000, I could not understand the purpose of the film, but as the it progressed it began to make more sense. I think the point although difficult to understand at first was to give these people voices. Traditionally gleaners are looked down upon and Varda gave a back story causing viewers to really feel a connection with the actual people rather than their standing in society. Once her objective is clear, she is successful in reaching her goal of giving these people voices. While she went a little too far in interviewing people like the psychoanalyst, she really captured the stories of these gleaners.
I feel like gleaning was a representation of all the waste that incurs in the world. Also it was important to look at the different types of people who gleaned. It wasn’t just those who were unemployed but even people in financially stable situations were gleaners. Gypsies, Chefs, the unemployed, and the elderly generation- they all had something to glean.
I think the narrator, Varda herself, also played an appropriate role. At first I was a little taken aback by her involvement in the film because she filmed herself and I thought this was going to be a semi-narcissistic journey but it wasn’t at all. It was also difficult for me to identify who this film was actually made for. The audience could be any person who wanted to be educated- either on the practice of gleaning, or on a cultural aspect of France. Finally, I want to comment on the music. At first, I thought it was highly inappropriate to have this loud rap music but then I realized that each song was relevant to the region she was filming. Its informative, and I am more inclined to categorize this film as cinema verite because it’s all live action. This film got me to think about gleaning in the United States. While it probably happens, I’m sure that corporations and farmers would never leave out giant piles of potatoes. They would be more likely to throw them away because of the legal implications. Someone could sue them for potatoes left on their property; this film barely explores the legal implications. It is dangerous to eat out of the trash!
I also appreciated the mood she set with the film, it was not pedagogic. She never made the viewer feel like "not gleaning" is wrong. It was informative and she was passionate which made the viewer engaged.