The Gleaners & I (2000)

From December 1998 to April 1999, Agnes Valda, who is in his 70s, was "loitering" in French cities and villages with a digital camera. some images of French scavengers in modern times were taken: the homeless and the poor pick up all kinds of necessities for living, and artists look for raw materials to create works of art from scrap metal piles. People who like to pick up trash are motivated by the morality of opposing waste. In addition to picking up trash, the film also has a side line drifting away from the main line, showing some people and things that seem to have nothing to do with picking up trash, such as interviewing a vineyard owner who is also a psychiatrist. Talk about movies with the descendants of Malay, one of the pioneers who invented the film. In addition, the film is also a self-portrait of the author. Valda walks from behind the camera to the front of the camera from time to time, showing herself moderately even when she is behind the camera, and some of the scenes are shot by herself. This documentary, inspired by the 19th century French painter Miller's famous painting "the ear picker", depicts the image of scavengers in modern France. In Valda's view, all kinds of scavengers are roughly divided into three categories: "some people pick up trash."