The Lost Sorrows of Jean Eustache presents a series of interviews and readings by close friends and colleagues of the artist. The film portrays Eustache’s revolutionary ideas about his art, his background, and the major events of his life, including his death by suicide in 1981. (La Peine perdue de Jean Eustache, Angel Diaz, BetaSP, 52 minutes)
Followed by three of Eustache’s short films:
Hieronymous Bosch’s Garden of Delights
Produced for French television, this short centers on the reflections of Eustache’s friend, actor Jean Frapat, on the meanings in Bosch’s triptych The Garden of Earthly Delights to a small, rapt audience. (1981, 34 minutes)
Alix’s Pictures
This film plays on themes of ambiguity and discordant interpretations of photography. It follows a young woman as she describes to a young man (Boris Eustache, the director's son) the stories, techniques, and supposed meanings behind several of her meticulously composed black and white photographs. (1980, 15 minutes)
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Eustache’s final film—commissioned for the French television series Contes Modernes (Modern Tales)—is a sharp satire of contemporary modes of communication, with an emphasis on the considerable blind spots in human understanding and interrelationships. (Offre d’emploi, 1982, 19 minutes)
Part of the His Little Loves: Jean Eustache Stories film series.