Vagabond

Mona Bergeron is dead, her frozen body found in a ditch in the French countryside. From this, the film flashes back to the weeks leading up to her death. Through these flashbacks, Mona gradually declines as she travels from place to place, taking odd jobs and staying with whomever will offer her a place to sleep. Mona is fiercely independent, craving freedom over comfort, but it is this desire to be free that will eventually lead to her demise.

Sandrine Bonnaire won the Best Actress César for her portrayal of the defiant young drifter Mona. Agnès Varda pieces together Mona’s story through flashbacks told by those who encountered her (played by a largely nonprofessional cast), producing a splintered portrait of an enigmatic woman. With its sparse, poetic imagery, Vagabond (French title: Sans toit ni loi) is a stunner, and won Varda the top prize at the Venice Film Festival in 1985.

In French with English subtitles. Part of our "Wayfaring Strangers" series. Distributor: Janus Films

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