‘Like the gleaner who, walking step by step, gathers the remains of what falls behind the harvester!’ – Joachim Du Bellay
At the 21st century’s eve, Agnes Varda released a particular documentary called The Gleaners and I. A film that presents the culture of gleaning in France. For those who don’t know, gleaning consists of non-farmers collecting the year’s crops remains. Fruits, wheat, and vegetables that the farmers abandoned on their fields and which the public can gather and bring back home for their personal needs. To calm their hunger; or satisfy their personal circumstances. For everybody gleans for different reasons. And not just vegetables and fruits. Some collect art remains, electronic circuits, old chairs, TV sets, or food left in the garbage. Many of them products that supermarkets threw away in their garbage cans because the consumption date has passed by only after a day. Although they are still fresh and consumable. Which is shocking as this food could feed thousands of families in need, but supermarkets didn’t share them to the proper organisations. Although since 2016, laws in France have forbidden Supermarkets to throw away their non-purchased and edible products into the garbage. Instead, they must send it to charities and foundations who will feed those in need. A wonderful initiative that I hope more countries will follow worldwide. A national strategy that I think owes a lot to the success of this documentary that Agnes Varda did, which grabbed a massive success in France and worldwide within various cinemas; collecting a larger fandom for this French New Wave director; including awards from many film festivals.
Indeed, The Gleaners and I, more than a film about gleaning, is a portrait of our society. Of people who glean through garbages and fields to survive, although some farmers and winery owners ban such practices. Which Agnes Varda takes time to present by interviewing both sides, asking their reasons and arguments and never meddling in their businesses. Though regarding the farmers who don’t allow people to glean, Agnes doesn’t mince her words to her crew and finds their attitude cheap and unkind toward others who could enjoy this abandoned food which some winery managers even deliberately damage so the public won’t glean them. Which is pretty sad and alienating.
Furthermore, this film shows a filmmaker who gleans images and encounters with her interviews. Gleans info about their lives, their histories, some of them beautiful, other tragic and bittersweet. Showing a world made with a palette of greys rather than black and white paintbrushes. With people whom we want to know more about. And which a sequel “The Gleaners and I Two Years” later speaks of.
Another review for another time.
So this film, a production made at the eve of the twenty first century, is a warning to this century about what we should improve in our society. The way we treat our food, our crops, our society, and our life values. A melting pot of topics audiences glean through the viewing of this film and think about after they leave the cinema or stop their DVD players.
In its filming, the Gleaners and I is a masterpiece of a documentary. Never manipulative in its soundtrack, never ones-sided, the film shows how documentary should be done. As films that do not inundate their images with pleonastic soundtracks, but let the people interviewed and the images captured speak for themselves. Their emotions as well. And never are we presented one-sided research. Regarding certain legal incidents reported in the documentary —homeless gleaners who caused a violent argument in the supermarket’s parking lot — Agnes takes time to interview the youngsters, but also the owners of the supermarket, and the court judge. Getting their perspectives, their sides of the story. Having empathy for everyone’s feelings, thoughts, and actions. Trying to understand why everyone did what they did. And letting the audience judge for themselves. Which is how a documentary should always be.
And visually, the movie was done with digital cameras. Filming in Mini DV and DVCam. Which the director loves quite a lot as she find their capture of images quick and efficient. Saving lots of time and money. Even allowing herself some small experimental effects during one scene. But also the chance to have a laugh as her camera’s lens cap cover was left dangling and she decides to film it while putting in the background a saxophone melody from Joanna Bruzdowicz and Isabelle Olivier. A funny moment that makes everyone laugh when the film passes in cinemas and on TV. That allows the director to have a little laugh at herself.
Speaking of the few tunes Joanna and Isabelle have composed, those two gave an excellent work. Alongside with Agnes Bredel and Richard Klugman who did a superb rap song called “Rap de Recup”. Which they both sing alongside Agnes Varda herself in her own remix version. A quite funny and awesome moment as it shows the filmmaker’s open-mindedness in trying out new things that young people do.
In sum, The Gleaners and I is a very educative documentary about France’s agriculture, its crops, its supermarkets, but also about our modern society. How we deal with our supplies and how we should stop wasting away food or any useful material that could help others. An ecological message for everyone to learn from.
Omnes's Oasis 