Varda by Agnès · reception & legacy
2019 · Agnès Varda
How Varda by Agnès has been received, argued over, and remembered.
The arc
It premiered at the Berlinale in February 2019 as a charming career-spanning masterclass — then Varda died just weeks later, and it was instantly reframed as a deliberate, graceful goodbye. It's now widely regarded as one of cinema's great final films, a testament she seemed to know she was making.
What's debated
The gentle debate: is it a genuine final work of art or a greatest-hits clip show — with fans split on whether it's the perfect Varda entry point or one best saved for after you've seen the films it revisits.
Its footprint
It's the capstone of Varda's late-life folk-hero status — the two-tone bowl cut, the beloved-grandmother-of-the-French-New-Wave persona — and the film that cemented her as cinephile culture's patron saint of curiosity and kindness.
Where it stands
A Letterboxd darling and a fixture on 'greatest final films' and 'documentaries about filmmaking' lists — the closing chapter people recommend as a masterclass in how to be an artist.