The Beaches of Agnès (2008)

The French photographer, artist, and film maker Agnès Varda (b. 1928) wrote, directed, produced, starred in and narrates this autobiographical documentary film. Varda describes herself as "plenty plump and talkative" at age 80. She begins with her childhood in Brussels, the third of five children born to a French mother and Greek father (although her father never mentioned this). Although she mixes various media to tell her story (old family photos, her photography, clips from her films, etc.), her story unfolds in a straightforward chronological manner. When Varda "took the plunge," as she recalls it, and moved from photography to film, her 1954 film La Point Courte was hailed as part of the French New Wave movement. The Beaches of Agnes has won numerous awards at international film festivals. For Varda, looking back over her long life means more about her friendships than the explanation of her craft. In French with English sub-titles.