Sans toit ni loi
1985 Drama
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Credits
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Summary
On a cold winter’s morning, a farm labourer discovers the dead body of a young woman in
a ditch. Her clothes are filthy and torn, her hair unkempt, and her face pale and
exhausted. The strange woman appears to have been living rough for some time.
Those who encountered her in the weeks preceding her death attempt to piece together her
story, to try to work out who she was and where she was heading.
Review
One of Agnès Varda’s most critically acclaimed films, Sans toit ni loi tells
the moving story of a young woman who rejects society and civilisation so that she can
pursue her dream of living entirely freely in the countryside she loves. It is a
brutally harsh and unsentimental film, depressingly pessimistic in that it shows such
freedom can never be attained, no matter how determined the individual may be. The
danger of starvation, physical attack and illness rapidly quench the illusion of freedom
which living rough may appear to offer.
The film is closer to a documentary than a traditional film drama, an approach which lends a shocking realism to the piece whilst distancing the spectator from the central character, the vagabond Mona, who remains elusive and enigmatic throughout. Mona is played by Sandrine Bonnaire in what is a remarkable and moving performance, for which the actress was justly rewarded with a Best Actress César. The film itself won the prestigious Golden Lion award at Venice in 1985. © James Travers 2001 Write a review for this film... |
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