The Gleaners combines the lyrical nature of prose, the dailyization and fragmentation of contemporary images, the reflexivity and cross-media nature of experimental images, and the social attributes of public art, demonstrating the optimistic humanist spirit of French New Wave directors.
The manual for the digital camera in the film seems to bring out the quality of the image: a medium that is both self-appreciating and introspective. If light illuminates objects, then eyes bring people and objects into my world, and they are dyed with my color, and people appreciate themselves when they look at things. Lost in the abyss of the self, who will save me? The inevitable reflection of the imaging principle suggests that the mirror image of this one-way obsession still has the possibility of reflecting on the self. Just as painters love to paint self-portraits, Varda, who has a unique introspective temperament, has long been familiar with the self-appreciation of image creation: ambiguous images, ambiguous sight lines, and ambiguous flesh. In the interview, Varda admitted frankly that there is no real film, only subjective reality, only one point of view, and no absolute reality, which is manifested in the inevitable exposure of self-referentiality when referring to others in video creation. Even in the documentaries that distinguish their authenticity from fictional feature films in popular perception, Varda does not shy away from showing the subjectivity of image creation. She vividly summarizes her creation as "shooting one hand with the other." . The director's first-person narration and critique of what happened, eating figs in front of the camera, the pruning and scissors dance that forgot to close the camera cover, a visit to the film's inventor, a psychoanalyst to a grape farmer The discovery of identity gives the film a "meta-movie" quality similar to that of contemporary novels. "I shoot, therefore I am" is a self-appreciative attitude of highly publicizing individual subjectivity, admiration and admiration for individuality, subject, and life. The reflexive thinking of , life, and image, in Varda, the two are inseparable for a moment.
How does "The Gleaners" achieve subjective truth? The whole film was shot by hand-held DV, and the simple equipment eliminated the elaborate carving. Authenticity is the distance vacated between the photographer and the subject, the honest treatment between the director and the audience, the director expressing his point of view with a clear-cut stand, stepping out of the self and establishing connections with others sincerely, and the extensive collection of The material is arranged logically and rigorously, interspersed with randomness scattered inadvertently. It is a picture that is generally ambiguous and escaping from words. It is a gesture of respect and awe for the truth, and at the same time, it is constantly pursuing the truth. She judges what she can judge, and shows multiple perspectives on what she can't judge, and then leaves it to the audience to think. Interviews with the collector and the owner, juxtaposing the statements of the plaintiff and the defendant, and deliberately arranging the role of the judge to justify the conduct of the collector. Use clips and footage to express wonder, accusation, and tender touches.
Between self-appreciation and introspection, Varda always pays attention to others, and she believes that the core of the documentary is "others". The title Les glaneurs et la glaneuse (The Gleaners and Gleaners) suggests an attitude of being with others. Varda is not only the implementer of the gleaning behavior, but also the recorder and reflector of the gleaning behavior. From cities to villages, from unemployed single homeless, to artists who turn waste into treasure, and then to fighters who use scavenging as a gesture to resist the consumer society, Varda picks up those leftover fragments, with the help of the artist's Magical magic creates it as a work of art. Varda is with the audience. From photography, film to installation art, she uses art to intervene in society in an informal way, inspiring people to think and influence others. For Varda, film is a kind of public art. She adheres to the artist's sense of responsibility and mission to discover, record, create, share, and voice.
Under serious issues, Varda often makes a point: competing with passing cars on the road and trying to catch them with his childishness, the memories of the couple's acquaintance and love and the tenderness of the moment, the animal after the flood. Blocking the way and dotted with brisk drums... The film's precise capture of contingency gleams with the poetic temperament and optimism unique to French New Wave directors. The boundless imagination and mischievousness of a child, the rationality and sense of responsibility of an adult, the wisdom, kindness and transparent background of an old man, all converge on this charismatic woman. Every time I appreciate the art of Grandma Varda, I can't help it. Don't sigh C'est la vie.
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