One Sings, the Other Doesn’t (L’une chante l’autre pas)
Directed by Agnes Varda
Written by Agnes Varda
IMDb page
First viewing/Criterion Channel
One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman – Simone de Beavoir
Leave it to Agnes Varda to make the ultimate feminist film so happy and life-affirming.
The story starts in 1960’s Paris. Pauline (Valerie Mairesse) goes by the name Apple and is a free-spirited seventeen-year-old who lives at home and aspires to be a singer. One day she passes the studio/gallery of a photographer who takes artistic portraits of women. She is fascinated by the photos and recognizes a woman who was once a neighbor in one of them.
It turns out that this is Suzanne (Therese Liotard), the common law wife of the photographer and the mother of his two children. Although she is only a few years older than Apple she already looks haggard. They become friends and she soon confesses to Apple that she is afraid to tell her husband that she is again pregnant. Apple encourages her to get an abortion and gives her money to go to Switzerland for a safe and legal one. She gets the money by telling her parents she needs to travel to sing in a choir competition. When the parents discover Apple’s deceit they kick her out of the house and she becomes a street performer with a women’s troupe who sings feminist songs.
The friends keep in touch through post cards. Apple continues with the group. She eventually falls madly in love with an Iranian and goes with him to Iran. They get married and have a baby boy. Suzanne goes on to establish a family planning clinic.
After their marriage, Apple’s husband expects her to perform all the household chores. Apple decides Iran is not for her and she, her husband and the baby return to Paris. She refuses to go back to Iran. He leaves with their son but not before he gets her pregnant with the daughter that will be “hers”. Meanwhile Suzanne, who becomes more and more beautiful, attracts the attention of a married doctor. She refuses to get involved with him but he gets divorced and eventually they marry. The two women stay fast friends through long distances of location and time.
I thought this was delightful. The many songs reminded me of Jacques Demy though they do not exactly tell the story. The story made me glad to be a woman despite the ups and downs of the protagonists. Sisterhood rocks!
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