Faces Places
A documentary by Agnés Varda and JR
Palace Cinema, Paddington.
Love is the last saving grace of humanity. The storyteller’s art, documentary, allows us to tell stories of others as well as our own. Antenna Documentary Film Festival premiers the honest and beautiful story of friendship, creativity and love, that is Faces Places. We gather and praise a unique version of the everyday. French photographer and artist, JR – thirty-four – and Agnés Varda – eighty-nine – make pleasant friends. Sharing the view that art must “surprise us”, Faces Places is a celebration of the elusive yet imaginative multiplicity of stories behind faces. The spontaneous nature of their journey leads them from goat farms and run-down ruins to the heart of cities and even shipping yards. Amongst effervescent fields of flowers, we see the little ‘camera van’ make friends along the way, capturing the truth on film as they travel the French countryside.
A blurring of the lines between truth and lies or the idea that reality is material, praises the documentary form. We are all in the pursuit of truth. JR captures everyday life as he pastes large photographs on walls, houses, monuments and moments. Ms. Varda watches from behind the lens, capturing the elegiac honesty in JR’s work – together they create real art. Catching the simplicity of strangers on film, every face encountered has a story to tell. Meeting an ‘antisocial’ farmer, JR and Ms. Varda give him a companion, his own portrait glued to his barn. Their work comes in collaboration too. Photographs taken in the same place, at different times, reveals how every individual sees the world in a different light. But no matter where you peek from: a view from above, through sunglasses, or with blurry eyes, we all have the ability to see exquisiteness in the everyday. JR helps Varda see the world, even if through his stylish sunglasses. The two prove true friendship still exists, love and creativity having no age limit. It all depends on how one sees things.
JR’s place in the film is crucial. His work, both ephemeral yet somehow timely, is moving. The Frenchman’s practice of fastening photographs to structures, focuses on the practice of art itself. The simple splendour of pasting images for all to see, just as important as the stories behind the photographs themselves.
The unpacking of Varda’s own artistic history is interesting. At times the film is slow, moving at the pace of an 89-year-old. Yet follow JR’s patience, taking this extra time to appreciate every moment along the way. Often, we don’t take enough time to simply enjoy the pleasure of everyday life. Varda glances to the past, revealing her photographs taken in 1945. The image of Varda’s goat, contrasted with JR’s, transports us in time. We see Varda’s artistic eye has not changed, despite her age – the film paying homage to women in the arts, no matter what their age. Varda’s avant-garde edge, combined with JR’s genuine love for photographs, makes for a fantastic combination. Varda’s attempts to reconnect with important people in her life, such as Jean-Luc Goddard, results in JR flying her around the Louvre, admiring The Greats. One of the many scenes that make us smile.
“Like goats, we compete for dominance…so, they fight, humans fight too”. The duo’s ability to simplify the world to truth and love reminds us to do so more often. Black and white, a fallen goat at the bottom of a cliff, a ruined building in the rain, we understand things often happen by chance. This chronicle, marvellously presented by Antenna, tells the story of the Visages and the Villages – the soles of our feet reflecting our soul – where we come from and where we have been, shapes who we are and who we want to be. As JR pastes Agnés’s toes on the side of the train, he allows her to travel to places she will never see.
JR and Ms. Varda dissolve all complications, lies and deception. All that matters is truth, love and simplicity. Something we must remember more often. Faces Places presents a story of love through art. Stories told through feet and eyes, places and faces. And after all, the point is in the power of imagination, and the power of art. “JR…the next film…it should be silent. We should make a silent film”. Agnés Varda and JR inspire one another, and inspire us to find beauty in simplicity more often.
Jamie Binder – On The Town
