Vagabond

1985 1h 46m FR

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 377

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Mona Bergeron is dead, her frozen body found in a ditch in the French countryside. From this, the film flashes back to the weeks leading up to her death. Through these flashbacks, Mona gradually declines as she travels from place to place, taking odd jobs and staying with whomever will offer her a place to sleep. Mona is fiercely independent, craving freedom over comfort, but it is this desire to be free that will eventually lead to her demise.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Sandrine Bonnaire
Mona Bergeron
Macha Méril
Madame Landier
Yolande Moreau
Yolande
Stéphane Freiss
Jean-Pierre
Setti Ramdane
The Moroccan Who Discovers Mona
Yahiaoui Assouna
Assoun
Marthe Jarnias
Old Aunt Lydie
Francis Balchère
Gendarmerie

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Agnès Varda
Writers: Agnès Varda
Languages: Arabic, French
Countries: France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

41 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Arabic, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Agnès Varda, shot by Patrick Blossier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Patricia Mazuy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Sandrine Bonnaire and Macha Méril and Yolande Moreau carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0089960 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Agnès Varda directs. Patrick Blossier behind the camera. Patricia Mazuy cuts. Produced in France. Dialogue in Arabic, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

141 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Arabic, French.
3Directed by Agnès Varda, shot by Patrick Blossier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Editor Patricia Mazuy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Sandrine Bonnaire and Macha Méril and Yolande Moreau carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0089960 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Classified under 8 themes, including "homeless person", "freedom", "southern france", "dead body".
8Released under 33 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Patrick Blossier
Editing: Patricia Mazuy
Production design: Jean Bauer
Makeup / hair: Brigitte Parquet
Sound: Jean-François Auger
Runtime: 106 min · 1h 46m
Status: Released
Box office: $8,100,000
Original language: FR
IMDB: Vagabond (1985)

Awards

Golden Lion

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Agnès Varda

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-05-15
★ 7/10
Sandrine Bonnaire delivers really quite well in this observational drama of a young, rootless, girl who roams the countryside living from hand to mouth. Now we start with "Mona" dead in a ditch - so there's little jeopardy, but that also serves a useful frame of reference to this depiction of her last fortnight or so of life. It's presented episodically as she encounters a goat-herder, squats with a pot-smoker for a few days, falls in love with an handsome Tunisian grape-picker and my own favourite - manages to get quite well oiled with a curmudgeonly old lady who simply needed to let her hair down. Each day brings her something new and the flashback style of storytelling allows us to reset a little between her adventures. Each time she, and we, feel maybe there is sense that hope isn't far away as she plays a game of Russian Roulette with her daily life. Some people are sympathetic, some downright hostile and it's all of these characteristics that contribute well to this punchy portrait of a strong woman who has no idea what she wants, nor what she doesn't want either. Does she clamour for peace, quiet, security? Does she thrive better on the unpredicable? One of my favourite Varda films - it's freedom and openness of visuals and spirit is compellingly augmented by Bonnaire and a cast of engaging character actors some you might like and some you probably won't. To what extent this is an accurate representation of rural life and small village mentality is also a question we are left to assess for ourselves and it all makes for a drama that works on several levels.

Production companies