Film

The Gleaners and I

Name: The Gleaners and I
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2000
Cast: Agnès Varda, Bodan Litnanski, François Wertheimer

Slow-burning

Agnès Varda's essayistic documentary follows people who glean—scavengers who find use in society's discards, from leftover crops in fields to market waste in Paris. It's a portrait of resourcefulness, dignity, and quiet resistance, shot with Varda's characteristic warmth and curiosity. For anyone moved by how people live at the margins, or simply captivated by the act of looking closely.

TMDb rating

3.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy a documentary that wanders with a curious, playful eye, letting small human details and a filmmaker's own wandering thoughts carry the weight more than any argument.

Skip it if you want a tightly structured film with a clear thesis and momentum; this one drifts from field to market to studio, lingering on objects and asides at its own unhurried pace.

What it asks of you: Roughly eighty minutes of patient looking, with no urgent plot to chase. It rewards a viewer who is happy to be led by the camera rather than told where to go.

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If you liked this

Bowling for Columbine2002

Michael Moore's investigation into gun violence in America has the same essayistic energy and willingness to follow curious threads wherever they lead. A documentary that's genuinely interested in people, not just scoring points.

But Moore can be heavy-handed and occasionally self-aggrandizing in ways that distract from his subjects. Some find his style manipulative rather than revelatory.

Grey Gardens1976

The Maysles brothers' portrait of two eccentric women living in decay is intimate, unsettling, and utterly human. Like Varda, they observe without judgment, letting strangeness speak for itself.

But It's voyeuristic enough to make you uncomfortable. The film doesn't shy from their deterioration, which some see as exploitation rather than empathy.

Sans Soleil1983

Chris Marker's fragmented meditation on memory, politics, and images is as digressive and poetic as Varda. A documentary that trusts the viewer to find meaning in the connections between scenes.

But It's deliberately unstructured and demands patience. Long stretches feel more like a wandering essay than a traditional film, which frustrates viewers seeking narrative clarity.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Gleaners and I

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Le Havre2011

Both insist that the forgotten and marginal possess grace and complexity. Both work in modes of tenderness when the world wants them to be angry.

Aki Kaurismäki's fairy-tale film about a shoeshine man and a migrant boy is concerned with the same question as Varda: how do people live with dignity when society ignores them? But where her documentary observes, his fiction transforms observation into gentle, absurdist poetry.

But It's stylized to the point of artificiality—deliberately flat performances, a color palette more painted than photographic. If you want realism, this hermetic world will feel precious and evasive.

Grizzly Man2005

Werner Herzog's study of an obsessive documentarian uses found footage and introspection to ask what we owe to the people and things we observe. Philosophically rich in ways that echo Varda's questioning.

But It's darker and more existentially bleak than Varda's work. Herzog's nihilism will alienate anyone seeking the warmth you felt in The Gleaners.

The Act of Killing2012

Joshua Oppenheimer's extraordinary investigation of Indonesian death squad leaders has the same patient, almost anthropological approach to understanding people society has written off.

But It documents unspeakable atrocities. The subjects are perpetrators, not victims, which makes for deeply uncomfortable viewing that Varda's gentler eye never demands.

Nostalgia for the Light2010

Patricio Guzmán's documentary about Chile's Atacama Desert meditates on memory, astronomy, and grief with poetic delicacy. Another film that finds profundity in observation rather than argument.

But It's meditative to the point of stillness. Very long takes and a hushed pace mean it rewards patience in ways that bore viewers seeking momentum.

The Salt of Life2011

Federico Fellini's semi-autobiographical late film shares Varda's interest in the texture of everyday life and aging, with the same blend of comedy and melancholy.

But It's episodic and loosely structured, more sketch than story. Some find it self-indulgent rather than revealing.