This innovative film debut preceded Godard’s Breathless by several years, earning director Agnès Varda the nickname of the Grandmother of the French New Wave. It is a sharp study in which the stylized, melancholic portrayal of a marriage in crisis intermingles with documentary-style scenes depicting the harsh realities of a fishing village. A young couple arrives in a Mediterranean town of Pointe Courte, located on marshy land between the lagoon and the sea, in order to decide on the future of their relationship. Inspired by the dual narrative structure of Faulkner’s The Wild Palms, Varda made her debut without any prior filmmaking experience. The film, edited by Alain Resnais, premiered at Cannes in 1955.

Subtitles: HR