Faces Places

"How does one begin to describe Faces Places? This superb film is infused with such zest and joie de vivre, making it resplendent in so many ways. It is so unorthodox and original that invoking simple labels or catch-all definitions to describe it feels like a disservice to the filmmakers. Yet the film unfolds without a hint of pretentiousness or self-importance, even when it broaches the kinds of questions usually underscored by highlighter pen: about life; mortality; the joys of human and geographical features."

"She’s 88, and makes films like she’s 28. Her movies are the opposite of old wo(man’s) movies. They’re a tonic — just watching them makes you feel younger."

"The film works just fine as an anthology of amiable encounters and improvised collaborations. But it's a lot more than that."

"Working for the first time with a co-director, French artist JR, the veteran documentary maker makes a near-perfect study of ‘faces and places’."

"It works, as a playful yet impressive tribute."

"Invested with a real sense of joy, Faces Places is also something of a lament for a fast disappearing France."

"Sheer perfection. French New Wave veteran Agnes Varda and the young photographer JR leap fearlessly into the art of making art in the year's best and most beguiling doc."

""Faces Places" turns out to be a road movie in more than a merely literal sense. It is at once a roving journey into environments we rarely see in cinema and an incomplete but invaluable map of Varda's memories."

"Only recently acquainted, the two creators hit it off famously and collaborate with great ease on a journey driven by mutual curiosity and creative application."

"Deliberately simple but surprisingly satisfying."