Les Créatures

LES CRÉATURES tells the imaginative story of a couple who move to a new town, only to be involved in a car accident there. She (Catherine Deneuve) loses her voice and, from then on, communicates through written text. Her husband (Michel Piccoli) is a science fiction writer who wants to base the characters in his next book on the people around him.

In a way, Varda draws on the themes she had already explored in LE BONHEUR (1965), although, in her own words, her main aim with this film was to show just how chaotic inspiration can be. Creativity is hidden everywhere, and to make use of it, you must first bring order to that abundance.

Varda dedicated this love story to her husband, Jacques Demy. Following its premiere in Venice, the film received mixed reviews and was a financial flop at the box office. As the multidisciplinary artist she was, Varda later recycled the film stock from this ‘failed film’ to create a successful installation: The Shack of Cinema.