((install)) — Le Bonheur 1965

To search for "le bonheur 1965" is to enter a labyrinth of contradictions. The film is beautiful and brutal. It is sunny and suicidal. It is a love letter to French pastoral life and a eulogy for the women who sustain that life.

On a visual level, Le Bonheur is one of the most gorgeous films ever made. Varda deliberately constructed the movie to mimic the paintings of Impressionist masters like Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Édouard Manet. The film is saturated with vibrant primary colors, soft pastels, sunflowers, and shimmering nature. le bonheur 1965