The Gleaners and I

Parta of Varda: A Retrospective

Varda described this film as a “wandering-road documentary,” in which she films the individuals who follow a seasonal harvest to gather the fruits and vegetables (and other discarded items) that have been left behind. A sensitive, contemporary portrait of this ancient practice, The Gleaners and I engages intimately with the culture of scavenging and, in doing so, tells a broader story about poverty, thrift, and society. The first film Varda made using a digital camera, it’s notable for its fragmented nature, which is often interpreted as a comment on how art, too, can be created through recycling scraps that might otherwise have been discarded.