By: Rohan Murti
I was scrolling through my Instagram feed recently when a reel reminded me of the turbulent beginnings of Honoré de Balzac’s literary legacy. This luminary of French literature, celebrated for his monumental “Human Comedy,” led a life overshadowed by financial turmoil. Despite crafting timeless classics like Eugénie Grandet and Le Père Goriot, Balzac found himself ensnared in a web of debt, and was relentlessly racing against deadlines to deliver his novel drafts to impatient editors. This “revelation,” courtesy an Instagram reel, was presented as an interesting titbit from the author’s life, a piece of trivia, if you will. The person in the reel then went on to conclude that Balzac’s literary breadth was probably not solely driven by a philosophical agenda; but rather by the sheer exigency of fulfilling editorial obligations. Tales of the author’s desperate measures, from considering entrepreneurial ventures to subsisting on copious cups of coffee during marathon writing sessions, are well-documented. Yet, this reminder of Balzac’s pragmatic approach to creating art left me, an admirer of his literary genius, feeling uneasy.
Does information like this one truly benefit readers who have delved deep into the life events of characters like Lucien de Rubempré? This is a question that I find difficult to answer in the affirmative. I believe that delving into the origins of creative endeavours often elicits a sense of discomfort and disillusionment among audiences. While narratives elucidating the genesis of artistic works can certainly be fascinating, they seldom leave audiences wholly satiated. The embryonic stages of what society deems as a “finished product” evoke a sense of melancholy, compelling us to confront the imperfections and uncertainties of the creative process. Indeed, any retrospective exploration of the past is an exercise in melancholy.
It is in this context that I was surprised at how often I smiled when I watched Agnès Varda’s The Beaches of Agnès. The director of Visages Villages (2017) is undoubtedly one of the best chroniclers of memories in French cinema. The Beaches of Agnès (2008), a documentary film, takes us through Varda’s recollection of her childhood – through beaches. The pioneering figure of the French New Wave employs a blend of personal narration, archival footage, and reenactments to construct a vivid tapestry of her life experiences. Through her lens, mundane details become infused with poignancy, and seemingly ordinary moments take on new significance. The beaches serve as both a literal and metaphorical backdrop, symbolizing the passage of time and the ebbs and flows of memory.
What sets Varda apart as a filmmaker is her ability to find beauty in the most unexpected places. Whether she’s reminiscing about her childhood in Belgium, her early days as a photographer, or her encounters with fellow artists and filmmakers, Varda approaches each subject with a sense of curiosity and reverence. She bares her soul to the audience through this film; sharing intimate moments of joy, sorrow, and reflection. From her tumultuous relationship with fellow filmmaker Jacques Demy to her thoughts on aging and mortality, Varda confronts the complexities of existence with grace and honesty.
The documentary also compels the viewer to confront the paradoxical nature of memory; which is simultaneously a source of comfort and melancholy. Agnès Varda’s adept storytelling navigates this dichotomy with finesse, inviting us to traverse the landscape of her past with open hearts and curious minds. Through Varda’s lens, recollecting the past becomes more than a journey down memory lane – a profound exploration of the human condition. Amidst the tumult that the film tries to recollect and inhabit, the viewer finds solace in knowing that our memories, however fleeting, are truly imbued with meaning. In embracing these truths through the film, we discover a strange kind of beauty – a beauty that lies in the very transience of life. It is in this sense that Varda’s film truly is a celebration of impermanence, a testament to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of inevitable loss. It reminds us that while memories fade and moments slip away, the essence of who we are remains eternal.
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