The Beaches of Agnès Movie (2008): Where to watch and stream online

The Beaches of Agnès

Documentary

2008, Movie, 1h 50min

“If we opened people up, we’d find landscapes. If we opened me up, we’d find beaches.” Originally intended to be Agnès Varda’s farewell to filmmaking, this enchanting auto-portrait, made in her eightieth year, is a freewheeling journey through her life, career, and artistic philosophy. Revisiting the places that shaped her—from the North Sea beaches of Belgium where she spent her childhood to the Mediterranean village where she shot her first film to the boardwalks of Los Angeles where she lived with her husband, Jacques Demy—Varda reflects on a lifetime of creation and inspiration, successes and setbacks, heartbreak and joy. Replete with images of wonder and whimsy—the ocean reflected in a kaleidoscope of mirrors, the streets of Paris transformed into a sandy beach, the filmmaker herself ensconced in the belly of a whale—The Beaches of Agnès is a playful and poignant record of a life lived fully and passionately in the name of cinema.

Country: France

Director:

Cast:

Reviews

Critic Roger Ebert

rated

This is a great, loving, uplifting film. It provides an ideal of a life well-lived.

Read full review at Roger Ebert

Critic Patrick Peters

rated

Don’t be fooled by the portly octogenarian pottering around here — Varda is a woman of fierce intellect and an exceptional filmmaker.

Read full review at Empire

Critic Peter Bradshaw

rated

...an elegant, eccentric and distinctively literary meditation on the Proustian themes of memory and self...

Read full review at The Guardian

Michael Thomsen

rated

God Agnes Varda selvbiografisk doku. Det ideelle er nok at man har set i hvert fald NOGLE af hendes almindelige film før man ser denne.

3 years ago

Frequently asked questions

What is The Beaches of Agnès about? Toggle content

Agnès Varda, the grandmother of the French New Wave, turns the camera on herself in this unique autobiographical documentary. Through a blend of fantastical film scenes, personal photographs, and intimate interviews, Varda paints a poetic and deeply personal portrait of her life as a filmmaker and artist. With a spirited and unconventional approach, she reflects on her experiences, memories, and struggles, taking viewers on a journey that is both deeply personal and universally relatable. As Varda herself says, "I live in films," and this documentary is a testament to her enduring creativity and passion for the medium.

Where can I stream The Beaches of Agnès? Toggle content

You can stream The Beaches of Agnès on: The Criterion Channel

What movies are similar to The Beaches of Agnès? Toggle content

Some movies that have similar genres and were produced around the same time as The Beaches of Agnès include Taxi to the Dark Side, How to Die in Oregon, Jesus Camp, Jiro Dreams of Sushi, Maradona, the Golden Kid, The Way I See It.