This weekend, 5th Avenue Cinema continues its run of double features with two 1988 films from director Agnès Varda and actor Jane Birkin. The first, Jane B. Par Agnès V., is a sort of documentary chronicling Jane Birkin’s career so far, discussing roles she aspires to fill ( then acting them out within the documentary), and ruminating on her life at age 40.
While the documentary was being filmed, Birkin and Varda came up with the idea for the double feature’s second film, Kung-Fu Master. The film is not a French martial arts film, sadly, but is still quite interesting. An examination of a highly inappropriate romance between a bored housewife and a 14-year-old arcade enthusiast, the film views Birkin’s character as a subject of condemnation, but also tragedy—healthy, well-adjusted people don’t date 14-year-olds, after all.
If you’re looking for an air-conditioned way to digest some European arthouse cinema, there are far worse ways you could do it than spending an afternoon at 5th Avenue Cinema.
