Before paying homage to his grandmother Odette Robert in the autobiographical My Little Loves, Eustache made Numéro Zéro, a documentary portrait in which Robert answers questions about her difficult Bordeaux upbringing, contentious marriage, and traumatic wartime experiences. In excavating the painful details of Robert’s life, Eustache discovers their universal resonance in the lives of so many others – their struggles, triumphs, mistakes, and learned lessons. Much of Eustache’s later style can be found in Numéro Zéro, from the inimitable black-and-white photography and static framing to the emphasis on the major revelations of minor movements and gestures.

Notes by David O’Mahony