One Sings, the Other Doesn't

A spirited musical set against the backdrop of the Women's Liberation Movement in France that chronicles the friendship between two women.

Spanning over a 14-year period we trace the deep connection between two women during a formative period of the Women’s Liberation Movement in France. Opening in the 1960s we meet aspiring singer Pomme and pregnant country girl Suzanne, who already has two children with her married lover. Although the two women come from different backgrounds, a deep connection is formed but tragedy strikes, and they find themselves on diverging paths in life.

Pomme becomes an activist and takes her feminist singing group on the road, while Suzanne, galvanised by her experience in trying to secure an abortion, opens a family planning clinic in regional France. Separated by years and sometimes countries, the two women keep their connection going through a series of postcards, while their hard-won victories forge the path for a new generation of women.

Agnes Varda’s hymn to sisterly solidarity is one of her warmest and most politically charged films. Her feminist musical traces the lived experiences of these two women and how it informs their politics, delivering a timely message about a woman's right to control her body.