La Pointe Courte (1955)
Everyone who is into film has certain areas which are unfortunate blindspots for them. There are so many great filmmakers out there especially when you start getting into foreign films that it is hard to see everything from everyone. Unfortunately, one of those blindspots for me is Agnès Varda. For no real good reason, she is a filmmaker which I never got around to see much of her work but after her death earlier this year I decided to change that. I sat down and watched Cléo from 5 to 7 and was blown away by what I saw. From the filmmaking and skill with the camera to the brilliant acting to the emotional depth, it was a nearly religious experience and I knew I needed to see more. Released in 1962 Cléo from 5 to 7 was only her second feature film, the first which was released 7 years earlier in 1955 was La Pointe Courte. Taking place in a seaside village filled with fishermen Lui (Philippe Noiret) anxiously awaits his wife's visit but once Elle (Silvia Monfort) arrives she brings bad news. She wants a divorce but Lui tries to work through their struggles. On the outside, this doesn't seem like a particularly noteworthy plot. It does seem kinda simple but still, I had faith in Varda to make something special out of this and I will say once again she delivers.
And one thing that works an impressive amount with the film is the plot and how easy it is to understand the emotions in it. The film really uses the idea of unspoken emotion as this couple tries to figure their relationship out and due to how universal these emotions and thoughts are the film is able to have moments where the characters just sit in silence with nothing seeming appropriate or right to say and the audience is able to relate and understand exactly what these two are thinking and feel the impact from that. It is rare that a film has this ability and even rarer that film would have the nerve to do this but Agnès Varda did it in her very first feature which blows me away. The actually spoken script is also just incredible basically becoming poetry at times. The words used to stitch together like a beautiful puzzle, they come off as wise, deep, and like I said poetic yet also very natural. It never feels like the movie is trying too hard to be deeper than it is or something more. It feels incredibly beautiful and like a true piece of art which seems to be a common feeling with Varda's filmography.
I also have to give credit to the acting here, especially from Philippe Noiret. He is a very quiet character who doesn't outwardly show a ton of emotion yet my god is he effective. You feel so bad for him and the chemistry he has with Silvia Monfort is really strong. This is one of the all-time best romances in film and the fact that it has flown under the radar for so many for so long is a real shame. Even past these two a lot of the movie is simply atmospheric following this village and the drama of it which is also done to near perfection. I love this community and thought Varda did a great job at expanding it while never taking away from the romantic drama. These two sides work really well together in this casual meditation on not just romance but happiness in life overall. This so easily could have fallen apart and become boring but it never does. It sucked me into this world and engaged me fully in every element of this film.
Once again this is a great showcase for Agnès Varda and is such an impressive debut feature that already contains more craft and quality than most filmmakers will ever reach. Sure I think the emotions are a bit below those in Cléo from 5 to 7 but still, this is a hard-hitting and engaging film that I love and hope more will check out. Similar to my experience after Cléo from 5 to 7 I feel the need to check out more Agnès Varda as she is just incredible. If she is one of your blindspots in film please take the chance to use a tool like The Criterion Channel to find some of her work, I guarantee that you won't regret it.
Once again this is a great showcase for Agnès Varda and is such an impressive debut feature that already contains more craft and quality than most filmmakers will ever reach. Sure I think the emotions are a bit below those in Cléo from 5 to 7 but still, this is a hard-hitting and engaging film that I love and hope more will check out. Similar to my experience after Cléo from 5 to 7 I feel the need to check out more Agnès Varda as she is just incredible. If she is one of your blindspots in film please take the chance to use a tool like The Criterion Channel to find some of her work, I guarantee that you won't regret it.