It resonates with the gleaners and evokes fond memories of childhood. Picking up leftovers in the paddy fields and on the road, and collecting them into a handful, is very full and rich in the world of children. Varda's documentary, though about scavengers, doesn't make people feel humbled. Although the scavengers have different goals, they all have a very natural and healthy mentality. Wasted things have a strong attraction in their eyes, and some turn them into treasures, and make them glow with artistic colors through magical combinations.
"The Gleaners" records the scavengers in different parts of France, including picking potatoes, grapes, apples, bread, vegetables, etc. Different cases give us different insights. For example, France actually writes waste scavenging in the law and stipulates that scavenging is legal after the harvest season; some farmers also acquiesce to this behavior, and some even open registration channels and give standardized requirements for picking time and quantity. with additional remuneration. There is a case that moved me very much. When a scavenger ate the parsley he picked up, he said that parsley is very good. It is rich in vitamin E. . . A bunch of nutrients I can't remember and say I've studied biology. The scavenger used to be a teaching assistant at a university. Many people don't understand why he came out to sell newspapers on the street. At the same time, he also taught for free in a shelter school. I appreciate this unique personality and the unique way of life that comes with it.
Good works can feel the soul of the creator and will be touched by some inadvertent small details. Varda clapped the folds of one hand with her other hand, feeling like an unknown animal; clenched her hand into a hollow fist to freeze the truck moving on the road, then clenched her fist to freeze it; The clock with hands is mounted at home and loves the feeling of not feeling the passage of time, with the face sliding behind the clock. It is hard to imagine that behind these small actions is a creator who is over seventy years old, and feels the temperature of life through the screen.
For those who are forced to make a living, scavenging is a life hope. I read an interesting book "Saga's Super A-Cha" before, in which A-Cha lives in poverty, so he stops a tree stick by the river near his home, so that the vegetables and fruits in the upstream will be stopped when they float down. The utility satisfaction that things bring them should be no worse than what we usually get. Picking up waste sometimes also reflects the wisdom of a person's life. Regardless of whether he is rich or poor, that A Xi will always wear a magnet on his body when he goes out, and will attract iron objects such as nails to sell when he goes out and returns home; my favorite writer Sanmao also loves scavenging for ten minutes, and can turn waste tires into beautiful cushions at home and waste coffins into seats in the Sahara.
This documentary brings us more beautiful things, and scavenging can also be shiny.
View more about The Gleaners & I reviews