Properly Screened

There are some films on the list that make me pause and wonder: why this one? Sometimes the acclaim feels misaligned with my viewing experience. This is not one of those films. It’s clear there’s something radical at work here. And that’s Agnès Varda. The diminutive Belgian filmmaker, too often recognized only in hindsight as the “mother” of the French New Wave, brings a perspective that still feels modern. What sets this film apart is how effortlessly it centers women. As a friend of mine noted, it passes the Bechdel Test with ease. This was genuinely revolutionary in 1962... and sadly, is revolutionary even by today's standards. A woman is the focus of the story; the men are just objects drifting in and out, bothersome but inconsequential.  Set in 1960s Paris, Varda seamlessly blends documentary and narrative to trace two hours in the life of a young singer named Cleo awaiting the results of a life-altering biopsy, quietly confronting her own mortality. It's an existential jo...