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Les Créatures

Les Creatures

Movie · 1966 · 10 people

Agnès Varda wrote and directed Les Créatures (Swedish title Varelserna), a 1966 French-Swedish film. It mixes psychological drama, parable and fantasy, with touches of science fiction. It screened in the official selection at the Venice Film Festival, drew mixed reviews and did poorly commercially.

The story opens with a couple who have just moved to a small town. After a car accident, Mylène (Catherine Deneuve) loses her voice and can only communicate by writing; she is also expecting a baby. Her husband Edgar (Michel Piccoli) is a science fiction writer who takes inspiration for his new novel from the people around him. Over time the line between fiction and reality blurs: the characters he invents slip out of his control and start living lives of their own. Eva Dahlbeck and Nino Castelnuovo also appear.

Visually the film builds an unusual world. Odd symbols, mysterious details, flamboyant figures such as a talking rabbit and unconventional colour choices leave an unreal, dreamlike impression. Varda later used the leftover film stock in Ma cabane de l'échec ("My Shack of Failure"), rearranging strips of the distribution print into the structure of a cabin.

DirectorAgnès Varda

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Cast

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Catherine Deneuve Catherine Deneuve Film actor · 83 years old Nino Castelnuovo Nino Castelnuovo Actor · died at 84 Bernard Lajarrige Eva Dahlbeck Jacques Charrier Lucien Bodard Marie-France Mignal Michel Piccoli Nicole Courcel Ursula Kübler

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Through different eyes

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

In Les Créatures, Agnès Varda attempts a bold experiment, blending psychological drama, parable and fantasy with touches of science fiction. A science fiction writer whose invented characters slip out of his control and start living their own lives gives the film a self-reflexive structure about authorship and fiction. Michel Piccoli and Catherine Deneuve make an intriguing couple, and Mylène, who loses her voice and can only communicate in writing, is the film's strongest idea. Odd figures like a talking rabbit and unconventional colour choices build a dreamlike world. Yet the sheer number of ideas scatters the structure, and the mixed reviews at Venice and the poor box office are understandable. Flawed, but an essay not to skip for anyone curious about Varda.

Yeşilçam Nostalgic A viewer raised on the classics, looking for warm storytelling and strong acting.

Seeing Catherine Deneuve this young is always a pleasure, especially as a woman who can only express herself in writing. But for a viewer who wants a story in the classic sense, Les Créatures is far too much of a riddle. As the line between fiction and reality blurs, it becomes hard to bond with the characters; a talking rabbit and mysterious symbols tease the mind without really touching the heart. For an eye used to the plain, heartfelt storytelling of Yeşilçam, it is an elegant but cold experiment.

Family Viewer Asks whether the whole household can watch it; cares about humour and heart.

This is not a film for children. Don't mistake it for a fairy tale just because there is a talking rabbit; the story is confusing and full of symbols. Little ones will get bored, and teens may struggle to follow what is going on. The story of a pregnant woman who loses her voice after an accident isn't a light subject either. It suits adults who enjoy art films; for a family evening, pick something else.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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