The Gleaners and I
Released 2000
Directed by Agnès Varda
In our alley we see men searching through the refuse for treasure. "The Gleaners and I" places them in an ancient tradition. Since 1554, when King Henry IV affirmed the right of gleaning, it has been a practice protected by the French constitution, and today the men and women who sift through the dumpsters and markets of Paris are the descendants of gleaners who were painted by Millet and Van Gogh. Gleaners traditionally follow the harvest, scavenging what was missed the first time around. In Agnes Varda's meditative new film we see them in potato fields and apple orchards, where the farmers actually welcome them (tons of apples are missed by the first pickers because the professionals work fast and are not patient in seeking the hidden fruit). Then we meet urban gleaners, including an artist who finds objects he can make into sculpture, and a man who has not paid for his food for more than 10 years.
Summary by Roger Ebert
This is an interesting film about people skimming the bottom of French society, but these gleaners aren't beggars. They're scavengers, and that's an important distinction to them. Some glean out of necessity, while others do it for recreation. There seems to be something comforting to people in gathering their own food. It's a basic function in life that very few of us do anymore, and it's interesting to watch people glean food from wherever they can find it. My favorite quote comes from a man who holds up a bruised apple in an orchard, "This apple is like an ugly stupid woman." Then he throws it over his shoulder, because even gleaners have standards. Also, I never cease to be amazed by the artistic ability of human beings, and we get to watch artistic folks glean trash and turn it into objects of beauty. I enjoyed that aspect, but I really wish I could get my hands on just one of the paintings of the gleaners that sit forgotten in the back of so many small French museums. --Bill Alward, September 2, 2002