Varda was a pioneer of the French New Wave cinema in the late 1950s.         

        Photographer JR likes to enlarge his photographic works and paste them on buildings, creating interesting street art. 

        That year, Varda (Agnès Varda) was 88 years old, and JR was 33 years old. 

        The two met and agreed to travel together, recording their encounters along the way, and finally completed the film: Faces Places (Visages Villages).

1        Reminiscences of the New Wave

        The French New Wave Cinema emerged during the five years from 1958 to 1962, when more than 200 young filmmakers started exploring together, using different film techniques to confront the kitsch commercial films on the market at that time.         

        The characteristics of the “New Wave”films are reflected in the following aspects: 

       • Documentary narrative style 

       • Eliminating excessive dramatic structure

      • Setting shooting topics and highlighting the improvisational reactions of actors on set

       • Avoiding excessive embellishment in lens connections 

      • Use of long shots The “New Wave” originated from the post-World War II youth's aversion to “nationalism”, “populism” and “authoritarianism”, “politics, and their desire to get rid of all established thinking in society and obtain personal freedom, self-affirmation, and respect. 

       “The 400 Blows" by François Truffaut  is one of the representative works of the “New Wave”.         

       The film tells the story of a 12-year-old boy who, under traditional education, has no interest in learning and roams the streets. Later, he was sent to a labor camp for theft.  In the labor camp, he seized an opportunity and escaped again. At the end of the mountain road was the vast sea he had never seen before. The film ended with a freeze-frame of him standing in the sea with a confused look on his face.

       “Breathless" by Jean-Luc Godard is also a frequently mentioned example when discussing “New Wave” films. A car thief accidentally killed a police officer in a shootout and fled to Paris, where he met an American woman. He told her that after obtaining a sum of money owed to him, he would go to Italy for vacation. At the end of the play, the heroine called the police and informed them that the fugitive was in her home. Then she confessed to the car thief that the police would arrive soon. However, the protagonist firmly stated that he was unwilling to escape again because he was exhausted...… 

        The director focused not on social morality and law, but on allowing the male and female protagonists to make choices for their own destiny and true feelings. 

        

        In 1961, Varda was one of the few female directors of the year. She filmed “Cléo from 5 to 7." The work tracks a female character anxiously wandering the streets of Paris for two hours before the release of a cancer medical report in an almost realistic reporting style. Varda explores a woman's relationship with the world in a kaleidoscope-like Paris from a female perspective. 

        The “New Wave” carries the heavy, pessimistic, and nihilistic feelings of a generation.

2        Ordinary People Versus Celebrities: Who are More Interesting?

        Sixty years have passed in the blink of an eye, and Varda's humanistic concern remains. 

        What to film? 

        For Varda, unexpected encounters with ordinary people are more interesting than celebrities. 

        Varda and JR came to the mine and asked everyone to hold a French baguette in front of their faces, pretending to bite the bread, and taking turns entering the temporary studio. 

        After so, JR enlarged the photos and pasted them on the wall. As a result, the bread extended horizontally, and the people biting the bread were enjoying it, as were the people looking at the photos. 

        Next, Varda and JR paid a home visit to a woman who refused to move away from the abandoned mine. 

        “Too many unspeakable memories here." She recalled helping her father, who had returned home from the mine, wash his body with a large basin; in the past, her father would bring a baguette from home to work in the mine in the morning, and in the evening, the bread that could not be finished would return home like a lark, and then the whole family would share it around the table, enjoying themselves...…

        The country roads are rugged, and bicycles shuttle back and forth. 

        Who is riding so freely? 

        Who remains unchanged in wind and rain? 

      It is the hardworking postman who is full of smiles! The village postman delivers letters, and as he delivers them, he becomes an old friend of the villagers. He draws pictures for the villagers. During the harvest, the villagers also leave some melons and tomatoes from their homes and give him a share. The simple and pure rural feelings are as clear as stream water. Do such interactions make those of us trapped in the city envious?

        Varda also met a 75-year-old man who lived on a small pension...… 

        He showed everyone a beautiful work pieced together with 1,300 soda bottle caps and beer bottle caps. He said that he was an artist and currently lived on a pension. 

        “How much money can you receive in a month?”

        “The lowest level. I have never had a fixed income, so I have no choice.”

        “Is it enough?”

        “I'm old and don't need to eat that much. I only eat when I'm hungry. If I'm not hungry, I don't eat.”

        “Without too much elaboration, the camera continued to record the retired artist's self-description, “The moon gives me warmth, the sun gives me heat, the stars protect me, and the universe gives me space to live.”

       Lament? Sigh? Bitterness? Acceptance? Generosity? 

        No sadness, just a light breeze. The interpretation is left to the audience.

3        The Harm of “Avoiding Mutual Harm”

        In addition to recording recording people and their lives,the camera also captures the animals in the village. Arriving at a ranch, why do all the sheep here have no horns? 

        The owner said, “Sheep are combative animals. To avoid them hurting each other, we pluck their horns off first.”

        “Questioning this method, Varda went to another ranch and asked the owner's opinion. 

        The owner said, “Fighting? What's so great about that? Let them fight. I would never pluck off the sheep's horns. That's a part of their body and should be respected.”

        “Finally, Varda and JR photographed a sheep with horns and posted the photo outside the ranch. It was a spirited sheep with pride!

4      Farewell

        Time passed slowly, and Varda and JR's journey lasted 15 months. 

        Varda took JR to visit her childhood and childhood friends, but many of her companions had passed away and left before her. One of them, named Henri Cartier-Bresson, became a famous photographer in his later years. 

        When he was young, Henri often went nude to be Varda's model. Varda praised him for being understanding. 

        Varda searched for a while and found a photo of the model as a teenager. He leaned against the corner of the wall, sitting in an L shape, as if resting or thinking. The photo left a large area of blank space, leaving a distant view, leaving longing, leaving room for imagination. 

        The next second, in the same angle and the same sitting position, sat 33-year-old JR. 

        Varda said, “Perhaps, what I remember more is the photos I took, not the man himself.”

        After a short pause, Varda said, “The wind is too strong, I can't stand it, let's go!”

      Varda, who was nostalgic, arrived at the cemetery, a cemetery hidden in swaying lavender. 

            JR asked, “Are you afraid of death?”

        “I often think about the topic of death. I don't think I'm afraid of death.”

        They came to Normandy Beach. As the tide rose and fell, they saw a dilapidated bunker pushed down from a high place during low tide. Normandy was the site of one of the most tragic battles in human history. The village chief said that times have changed, and this corner of the bunker has become a “dangerous building.”

        “Recently, mountain goats have been found to have fallen and died, so they simply pushed this corner of the bunker down from a high place, and the beach has since had a new landmark. JR had an idea and pasted Henri 's photo on the bunker. 

        Henri fell asleep peacefully as if lying in a cradle. 

        The next day, Varda and JR visited again, but the photo had left with the tide, leaving no trace. 

        Without rescue, re-shooting, or starting over, Varda just said lightly, “The sea always has its reasons. And the wind, and the sand...…”

        Next, Varda took a train with JR to meet her old friend Godard, whom she had met during the “New Wave” period.         Godard, like JR, always wore sunglasses. The train was bumpy, so they drank a cup of tea to calm their nerves. At the agreed time, the two arrived at Godard's home. 

        The door of the house was locked, and Godard only left a message on the window, writing a riddle that outsiders could not understand. Godard stood Varda up. 

        Varda was a little uncomfortable. 

        At this time, in order to comfort Varda, JR finally took off the sunglasses that he had been unwilling to take off. Varda's eyes were tearful, and she said, “Thank you.”

        “She was grateful that JR finally took down the barrier between the two, and they had a more transparent communication. 

        However, she said, “I see you, but I can't see clearly. There's something wrong with my eyes.”

        “What did she see? All she saw were blurry shadows, and even worse, the shadows were constantly and slightly shaking up and down. Humorous and touching. Why did Godard stand Varda up? Did he not want to mention his past glories? Was he jaded after seeing the best of everything? Or was Godard encouraging Varda to say goodbye to the past and live in the present? 

        Henri Cartier-Bresson is not JR, and JR is not Godard. Everyone can only be himself, everyone knows that. 

        Once again, the director only recorded her emotional tears, but did not comment on them. The New Wave technique still shines, embodying modern civilization and showing respect for the viewer.

5      What I See Is Not Necessarily What You See

        The “New Wave” is already 60 years old, and the “wave” is no longer “new.”

        What is strange and also gratifying is that the French “New Wave” which once promoted anti-commercial production, has been unexpectedly nominated for:

     Firstly, The Best Documentary Award at the 2018 American Academy Awards 

and also,  

       Secondly, The Best Documentary Award  from the American National Society of Film Critics for Faces Places. 

        Has the trend changed in 60 years?         

      On the one hand, the “New Wave” is no longer cynical. Time has left behind a sense of detachment and tolerance, and a sense of lightness. On the other hand, the film and television industry has also broadened its horizons and realized that the world is diverse after all and no longer favors only one taste. 

        Varda still embraces the curiosity of young people, and JR helped her by photographing Varda's eyes, curved toes, and fingers and posting them on a large truck. As a result, Varda continued her exploration...… 

        Following Varda on a journey, what I see is not necessarily what you see, even though we are on the same planet and walk the same journey.