"An optimistic celebration of women and their ongoing liberation, the film remains moving, inspirational, and perhaps a shade too relevant." - Pat Brown, Slant
Agnès Varda’s unsung feminist anthem is both a buoyant chronicle of a transformative friendship and an empowering vision of universal sisterhood. When seventeen-year-old Pauline (Valérie Mairesse) helps struggling mother of two Suzanne (Thérèse Liotard) procure the money for an abortion, a deep bond forms between the two, one that endures over the course of more than a decade as each searches for her place in the world—encountering the dawning of the women’s movement, dreamy boho musical numbers, and an Iranian adventure along the way. Initially divisive for its sunny, idealized view of female liberation, ONE SINGS, THE OTHER DOESN’T now seems all the more radical—and all the more vital—for its unabashedly utopian spirit.
Ages of Agnès | May 2–27, 2026
In a career spanning seven decades, artist and filmmaker Agnès Varda crafted an unparalleled canon of formally innovative and poetic films. Considered a progenitor of the French New Wave, her shape-shifting films often employ a hybrid of documentary and fictional narrative approaches and prioritize women’s stories and perspectives. The six films in Ages of Agnès, each from a different decade, chart Varda’s groundbreaking career and celebrate her compelling and charismatic style of filmmaking.
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu