Starting in the late 1950s, the Nouvelle Vague movement, or New Wave, swept across France as filmmakers began experimenting with disjointed, often existential narratives that took to the screen with snappy, low-budget editing and production.
At the heart of this movement lies the 1960 film, “À bout de souffle,” or “Breathless,” directed by the legendary Jean-Luc Godard. Now, 65 years later, the film “Nouvelle Vague” invites audiences into the making of “Breathless,” fictionally chronicling its creation.
Released on Friday, the latest film directed by Austin resident Richard Linklater (“Dazed and Confused”), takes place in 1959 and reimagines how the then-unknown Godard prepared to take on his first feature film, “Breathless.” Linklater pays homage to the exciting era of film with love and stylistic precision, making for a fascinating look at one of the most influential films ever made.
Linklater emulates the New Wave with classic motifs of sultry jazz, black and white color grading and ample cigarettes and coffee. Primarily in French, the English subtitles further add to the illusion that audiences are enjoying a film straight from the French New Wave. Linklater also explores dry, characteristically French humor, for which actors break the fourth wall with direct eye contact to the camera, mimicking Godard’s signature style.
Linklater’s witty references to various famous filmmakers solidify that the film is made by a cinephile, for cinephiles. Scenes include fictional cameos from filmmaking legends such as Françoise Truffaut (Adrien Rouyard) and Jean Cocteau (Jean-Jacques Le Vessier).
Interwoven with clever filming techniques, “Nouvelle Vague” illustrates the beginnings of a genius, as Godard (Guillaume Marbeck) baffles the cast and crew of “Breathless” with his revolutionary new style. A reimagining of the roughly 20-day film shoot focuses on Godard’s unique directional approach, including his disregard for continuity across shots and desire to capture authenticity, resulting in a lack of script.
“Nouvelle Vague” contains stellar performances by Zoey Deutch as Jean Seberg and Aubry Dullin as Jean Paul Belmondo. Playing two of the most famous characters in film history proves no easy feat, but Deutch and Dullin’s portrayals make for a transportive movie-watching experience, delivering electric on-screen chemistry. Deutch, who learned French for the role, exemplifies Seberg’s chic demeanor during recreations of scenes from “Breathless.”
Seberg often comments on Godard’s usage of quotes throughout his dialogue, a key element of his essayistic film style. Linklater’s cheeky, yet sometimes cheesy, response to this manifests in his inclusion of some of Godard’s most famous quotes sprinkled throughout the film. This includes the well-known quote, “All you need is a girl and a gun,” used to describe the elements of a good film, with Linklater providing both.
From its smart recreation of the New Wave across costuming, dialogue and shooting style, Linklater’s “Nouvelle Vague” leaves audiences breathless. The niche subject matter requires audiences to come equipped with prior knowledge of the New Wave period to fully embrace the film, but for those cinephiles who are as in love with the movies as Linkerlater shows himself to be, “Nouvelle Vague” proves très magnifique.
4 New York Herald Tribunes out of 5
