Synopsis
There once was a boy who was raised in a garage where everybody liked to sing. It was 1939, he was eight years old, he liked puppets and operettas. And he wanted to make films, but his father made him study to be a mechanic. It’s about Jacques Demy and his memories. Jacquot de Nantes tells of a happy childhood, despite the events taking place in wartime and its aftermath. Agnès Varda’s challenge with this tribute film of great tenderness is to retrace the childhood and adolescence of the man with whom she shared her life.
A word from Tënk
We huddle round the screen (as large as possible) by the fire, and listen to the story that Auntie Varda (our favourite aunt) tells us. The older people will be moved by the vision of a filmmaker offering the most amazing gift to her partner Jacques Demy. In the twilight of his life, she gives him the chance to return to his childhood and the source of his inspiration. The younger people will be gripped by this introduction to a young man who, with his feet firmly on the ground, seems to have his head in the clouds and stars in his eyes. He dreams of filmmaking. He went on to make films – films filled with this dream-reality, these social narratives with just a hint of sugar.
It’s impossible not to savour this movie packed with sweetness and emotion that makes us want to watch everything by Varda and Demy. A true gift!
Sylvain Bich
Film projectionist
