Faces Places

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FACES PLACES:

We didn't meet on a road.

We didn't meet at a bus stop.

I can't see.

When's the next one?

In 3 minutes.

That's too long.

I'll walk.

We didn't meet in a bakery.

Hello.

- 2 chocolate eclairs, please.

- I just sold them.

Too bad. Thanks anyway.

Goodbye sir.

- How much?

- 5 euros, please.

We didn't meet

on the dancefloor.

I remember images from your films.

Clo's face...

Mur Murs in Los Angeles...

Those giant murals

made such an impression on me.

I loved seeing

out the train window

the eyes you pasted on cisterns.

You wowed me at the Pantheon

with thousands of faces.

You photographed old women in Cuba,

and old men.

And that wrinkled couple

you pasted on the crackled city.

It's funny

we didn't cross paths sooner.

I made the first move.

I went to see her, Rue Daguerre.

Then she came to see me.

I introduced her to my team.

Emile, Guillaume, Etienne

and the rest.

The moment I arrived,

I wanted to take portraits of JR.

I soon realized he wouldn't

remove his glasses.

I thought of Jean-Luc Godard,

with his dark glasses

glued to his face.

Though one day,

he took them off for me

for a few moments.

That was a long time ago.

I was 33.

Now I'm the one who's 33.

And I'd say you've seen

about 88 springtimes.

Alright already, you know my age!

It'll be fun making a film together.

That's our starting point.

Say, you never work in a duo,

do you?

A giant leap forward!

When did people say that?

When Armstrong walked on the moon.

About our project...

I like the spontaneity of it.

But what'll we do?

Make images,

together but differently.

Go-time. You game?

You bet.

I'm always game

to go toward villages,

toward simple landscapes,

toward faces.

This is the truck

I take all over the world.

People go in the back,

like a photo booth.

In 5 seconds,

the photo comes out the side,

in large format.

As soon as we hit the road,

we made a stop.

Miss, would you care to inaugurate?

Inaugurate, please.

But perhaps you could

remove your glasses for the photo.

Let's see your pretty eyes.

I'll lend you my baguette.

We have several on hand.

Now then...

you sit here.

Make sure you're centered.

Perfect.

Hold the baguette between your teeth.

Nice and straight.

Ready... set... Perfect.

I closed my eyes.

- That's ok.

- Bonehead.

On the right, there.

They didn't do it, only me.

It's like a game.

In fact, JR is fulfilling

my greatest desire.

To meet new faces

and photograph them,

so they don't fall down the holes

in my memory.

We hit the road

whenever we could.

Here and there, in France.

We headed toward the North.

A vibrant region.

But in my mind,

I mainly had images

of black slagheaps.

And also

a collection of postcards

about miners

I'd held onto.

As for me,

I couldn't wait to go see

those 2 breast-shaped hills.

Drive down the brick-lined streets,

some of which are now deserted.

Meet people and get some ideas.

We heard about a row of miners' houses

slated for demolition.

There, we met Jeanine,

the last inhabitant on the street.

I'm the sole survivor

in these miners' houses.

I said I'd be the last to go,

and I'm still here.

Good for you.

They won't throw me out.

I have too many memories here.

I said, "You don't understand."

No one can understand

what we lived through.

JR and Guillaume put together

some old pictures of miners.

We decided to paste them

on the houses.

We always start with the feet,

so they're firmly on the ground.

This is beautiful to us.

I'll say this right now,

it's beautiful to me.

Back in 1956, I was going on 14.

Yes, I was a pit boy.

Mining's a trade

you have to learn.

30 years down in the pit.

To earn a day's pay,

you had to plant 150 props.

After that I did coal.

That was very, very hard.

I suffered a heck of a lot.

We went back to see Jeanine

to find out more about her life.

She talked readily about her father,

who was a miner.

He'd set out with his bread,

a great big loaf this long,

full of butter,

to eat down in the pit.

If he had any left,

he'd put it in his satchel

and bring it back up.

We were kids and we'd run

to meet our dad

with his "alouette" bread.

What's that? Alouette bread?

Our bit of grimy bread.

How we loved it!

We loved that bread

because it came up from the mine.

The hat's called a "barrette."

I remember my grandpa

would come home

and get undressed,

except for the barrette.

He removed it

just before getting in the tub.

My grandma'd wash his back.

That's how it was.

We went to our local assistant's

father's house.

On his wall was a picture

of the miner's bath

that I had a postcard of.

Sometimes I'd wash my father's back.

I'd see all the bruises

from the coal hitting him.

It's the same but reversed.

That happens.

Very observant of you.

I see you working

with all these guys,

like a professional paster.

I like pasting best.

People think

I'm a photographer,

but most of the time

I'm climbing scaffolds.

We celebrated the miners.

But Agns and I also wanted

to honor Jeanine, the resistant,

by pasting her face on her home.

What can I say?

Nothing.

I don't know what to say.

There's nothing to say.

Let's have a hug.

Better, right?

Jeanine, it's not sad!

We're friends now.

I can't get over it.

We wanted to pay homage to you.

On a large scale, like this.

Thanks for the water

you gave us for the paste.

We drained her whole tank!

You know, I often think

of Jeanine and her father.

I wonder how long

she'll hold out in her home.

Attachment to a home

is a powerful thing.

I'm more the type

who goes here and there.

It's nice here.

It is pretty nice.

Too bad you can't reach the ground.

You're stuck.

You need me to help you down.

I'm ruining myself. My legs, my eyes.

You look blurry.

Here's what I suggest.

We get as many images as we can

before it's too late.

Too late for me?

That's not what I meant.

You said it.

We're getting to know each other,

but let's discuss our film.

What I liked

was meeting amazing people

by chance.

So you want to carry on that way,

with no plan or itinerary?

Yes. Chance has always been

my best assistant.

Do you think chance

will work for both of us?

Maybe...

If I give you some melon,

can we set out again?

Alright. But where?

I met this guy hitchhiking.

Let's go see him.

You're visiting our region?

Yes, actually,

we're looking for walls

where we can paste large photos.

What kind of photos?

Pictures of people. Folks we meet.

Like you.

Is this your barn?

Yes.

I'd love to paste something on it.

We're in Chrence.

Yet another coincidence,

I know this village well.

I came to see Nathalie Sarraute,

a writer I liked and admired.

Her house was 100 yards

from this barn.

You're a farmer. How big is your farm?

How many workers?

My farm is 500 acres.

I work alone.

500 acres, all alone?

Yes. 500 acres, alone.

I also do contract work

for other people.

I give them a quote.

For example,

it could be just for harvesting.

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