Connected to the French New Wave filmmakers of the 1950s and 60s, Jean Eustache (1938 – 1981) was bold and direct. He tended to call himself an archivist or ethnographer instead of a filmmaker, even when talking about his dramatic work: “I simply want to show that the cinema has a direct influence on life, just as literature does.” He directed many films, some for French television, with an anthropological approach, in which language and image challenge the viewer’s assumptions and expectations. Exploring gender relations, romantic love, and emotional violence, Eustache asks us to attend closely to what we think we perceive.
Restorations and film notes by Janus Films, all titles are in the original French with English subtitles, and in DCP format unless otherwise noted.