A deceptively idyllic film by a remarkable representative of the French New Wave, Agnès Varda. A provocative exploration of the idea of happiness and marital fidelity.
Joiner François (Jean-Claude Drouot) is happily married to Thérèse (Claire Drouot), a dressmaker. They live in the suburbs of Paris with two young children, often have guests, and travel to the countryside for picnics. During a working trip, François meets Émilie (Marie-France Boyer) and the two start an affair. François talks to his wife about his mistress and tells Émilie about his wife. He wants to keep a relationship with both, as each makes him happy in her own way.
On release the film confused its audience, who were not sure whether it was a pastoral or social satire. The combination of idyllic scenery, angelic music, and a dark morality that anticipates the chilling ending conceals the director’s point of view. Contradictions are part of politically engaged director Agnès Varda’s life and creative strategy. Yet in Le Bonheur she presents characters who are her direct opposite: they avoid confrontation to preserve the idea of happiness. But who is happy in the end?
The film will be screened in French with Russian subtitles.
Le Bonheur
Director: Agnès Varda
France, 1965. 87 min.
18+