Agnès Varda’s feminist musical is coming back to the big screen with a makeover. “One Sings, The Other Doesn’t” has been newly restored and will open at Brooklyn’s BAMcinématek on June 1. The 2k restoration screened at Cannes Film Festival’s Cinéma de la Plage as part of the Cannes Classics lineup yesterday, May 14.
Set in 1960s Paris, “One Sings, The Other Doesn’t” follows to young women as they become friends. “Pomme is an aspiring singer. Suzanne is a pregnant country girl unable to support a third child. Pomme lends Suzanne the money for an illegal abortion, after which, they lose track of each other,” BAMcinématek summarizes. “Over a decade later, they reunite at a demonstration and pledge to keep in touch via postcard, as each of their lives is irrevocably changed by the women’s liberation movement.”
Varda has revealed that she penned the script for the film “after writing several scripts (rejected) on women’s issues, about contraception and abortion.” She explained, “The project was to give an account of individual and collective actions undertaken by women over the decade between 1965 and 1975 in relation to contraception, which was illegal, and abortion, which was also punished. I wanted to be a witness to these struggles, demonstrations, and other actions that often took place in a cheerful atmosphere and a spirit of positive communication, with men as well as women.”
Earlier this week Varda helped lead a protest about the underrepresentation of women directors at Cannes. Since 1946, just 82 women-directed films have screened in competition at the fest, compared to the 1,688 films helmed by men. She and Cate Blanchett — who is serving as Jury President this year — read a statement at the red carpet demonstration.
Varda accepted an Honorary Oscar in late 2017. In 2018 she received a nomination for Best Documentary Feature for co-directing “Faces Places,” which saw her traveling around rural France.
For more information about “One Sings, The Other Doesn’t” and to buy tix, head over to BAMcinématek’s website.
