Synopsis
In this film, Agnès Varda creates an essay portrait of Jane Birkin that explores the gap between painting and film, between the male and female gaze. By juggling with the implicit imbalances of power in the artist–model relationship, Varda creates an unusual space in the history of power relationships in art: here, the observer giving the orders allows the muse to return her gaze and discuss with the artist (in this case, filmmaker and woman) how she wants to be represented in pictures and what role she wants to play. Actress, singer and model Jane Birkin is, like Varda, a militant feminist who embodies all the contemporary world’s contradictions concerning the cultural treatment of women. Rarely has the portrait been worked upon with such insight and awareness.
