"This is the film in which Rohmer’s mapping instinct went into overdrive. Perhaps even more so than The Sign of Leo, this film feels like it’s primarily about the spaces of Paris, and only secondarily about its main characters. Very interesting shooting technique too – Rohmer and his tiny film crew just went out onto the street with the main actors, followed the story, and found locations as they went along."

"This movie has been a touchstone for me through my entire adult life. I first saw The Apu Trilogy when I was in art school, and I think I was confused or overwhelmed by it at the time—it was my first encounter with that kind of cinema. But it stuck with me, and I return to it over and over again because it’s endlessly beautiful. I love the economy of Ray’s shooting style; he always does these simple pans, or he’ll just have people walk toward and away from the camera. There are no complicated bilateral moves, and he really just goes with what’s in the frame. And his sound design is so powerful. These films manage to fit big political elements into tiny, familiar stories that follow the course of the life of a family. I got to see Pather Panchali in Portland on the big screen right before I started shooting First Cow, and it definitely had an impact on that film."