John Berger is an 89-year-old artist and writer whose works include the BBC series “Ways of Seeing” and a Booker Prize-winning novel, “G.” This four-part documentary (directed by Colin MacCabe, Christopher Roth, Bartek Dziadosz and actress Tilda Swinton) is a series of riffs on his life and ideas.

The film can be rough going for those who know little of Berger’s work. That’s especially true of the second part, a stupefying collage about Berger’s home in rural Quincy, France. Part three grapples with Berger’s views on capitalism (he dislikes it).

Part one, a talk with Swinton that touches on their war-veteran fathers, and part four, which shows Swinton’s teenage twins connecting first with Berger and then with his son, hold the most interest. Overall, it’s a film made by fans, for fans.