Agnès Varda's début is ostensibly about a troubled married couple (Lui and Elle, literally "him" and "her") exploring their sameness and differences, but from a present-day perspective their story pales in comparison to the history going on around them.
The poverty stricken inhabitants of the coastal commune of Sète, their gossip, their traditions, their interactions with the authorities, the sickness and the death they take for granted, and the penalties they face trying to earn a simple living in an increasingly regulated France - it's all far more compelling than the love story.
Most interesting of all though: How this unremarkable location where men went out to find shellfish was transformed almost overnight into a large holiday resort where young people go to find casual sex.
Do check out Mektoub, My Love: Canto Uno for a glimpse of life in Sète today.
The poverty stricken inhabitants of the coastal commune of Sète, their gossip, their traditions, their interactions with the authorities, the sickness and the death they take for granted, and the penalties they face trying to earn a simple living in an increasingly regulated France - it's all far more compelling than the love story.
Most interesting of all though: How this unremarkable location where men went out to find shellfish was transformed almost overnight into a large holiday resort where young people go to find casual sex.
Do check out Mektoub, My Love: Canto Uno for a glimpse of life in Sète today.