Even now this film is a vital primer on local political history, by default a sobering comparative account of so-called progress since it was made, and all the more engaging for Varda's palpable eagerness to understand a uniquely American (and Californian) strain of activist pushback against authoritarian oppression. Whether or not she regretted missing out on the political upheavals in France in 1968, she certainly seized the opportunity to broaden her perspective here.
Jonathan Kiefer
August 19, 2015