The point of departure for Varda are gleaners, those individuals who pick at already-reaped fields for the odd potato, the leftover turnip. In this documentary, director Agnès Varda deals with the issue of wealth and poverty in modern-day France by exploring the world of gleaners and pickers. Gleaners are individuals who search farmers' fields for produce the mechanical harvesting equipment may have left behind. In potato fields, the poor collect what potatoes can be found but also from crops that are rejected because of minor damage or size. In urban areas, gleaners will pick through garbage cans to collect whatever food items have been thrown away by supermarkets. Pickers on the other hand are those who collect non-food items put out for refuse collection. These can simply be recycled or used to produce self-styled art. The focus, however, is that in a land of plenty, there is a great deal of waste while many are left wanting.
Keywords
Actors
- François Wertheimer
- Bodan Litnanski
- Agnès Varda
Director
- Agnès Varda
The point of departure for Varda are gleaners, those individuals who pick at already-reaped fields for the odd potato, the leftover turnip.
In this documentary, director Agnès Varda deals with the issue of wealth and poverty in modern-day France by exploring the world of gleaners and pickers. Gleaners are individuals who search farmers' fields for produce the mechanical harvesting equipment may have left behind. In potato fields, the poor collect what potatoes can be found but also from crops that are rejected because of minor damage or size. In urban areas, gleaners will pick through garbage cans to collect whatever food items have been thrown away by supermarkets. Pickers on the other hand are those who collect non-food items put out for refuse collection. These can simply be recycled or used to produce self-styled art. The focus, however, is that in a land of plenty, there is a great deal of waste while many are left wanting.