Nouvelle Vague

Greetings again from the darkness. Like most who obsess over cinema, I went through my French New Wave phase. Actually, binge is likely more accurate since the phase has yet to end. I'll always make time for Truffaut, Godard, Chabrol, Rohmer, Varda, and Demy. American director Richard Linklater clearly shares this fondness as he releases this homage on the heels of BLUE MOON, his other superb 2025 release. Co-writers on this film are Holly Gent, Laetitia Masson, Vincent Palmo Jr, and Michele Petin ... two of whom have previous collaborations with Linklater.

While Linklater shows us the many faces and names of those behind the movement, most of this story focuses on Jean Luc Godard and his quest to make BREATHLESS (1960). Godard is played by relative newcomer Guillaume Marbeck and the trademark sunglasses. Godard is a film critic turned writer turned director. In fact, we hear him repeat, "I have to direct", seeing as his goal to direct his first feature by age 25 has already been missed. He talks reluctant and skittish producer Georges de Beauregard (Bruno Dreyfurst) into financing the film by claiming Francois Truffaut (Adrien Rouyard) and Claude Chabrol (Antoine Besson) had co-written the script. Both men had successful films under their belts with THE 400 BLOWS and LE BEAU SERGE, respectively, so the producer viewed his risk as minimal.

Already a star at age 21, Jean Seberg (a terrific Zoey Deutch) finally agrees to join the cast, as does amateur boxer and new actor Jean-Paul Belmondo (Aubry Dullin). Linklater does a nice job in recreating the haphazard manner in which Godard worked. Of course, there was no script ... other than what he wrote each morning over breakfast. He was after spontaneity, and this caused a clash with Seberg. Much of how he worked would be considered guerilla filmmaking, and it's interesting to see how the cast and crew react to Godard's 'genius'.

Along with the music, Linklater and cinematographer David Chambille capture the authentic look and feel, and it serves as a tribute to the era, including ever-present cigarettes. The French New Wave, and especially Godard, offered a new vision for cinema. Their impact on future filmmakers cannot be overstated, and Linklater's passion for the movement for cinema is obvious. He surely hopes the film inspires others to explore the revolutionists from the Wave that shook the foundation of cinema ... even if "it's no CITIZEN KANE". Just keep in mind what Godard says, "All you need for a movie is a girl and a gun."

Releasing on Netflix on November 14, 2025.

This movie is a joyride to experience the not-so-joyful process of filmmaking as well as a good homage to the legend and one of the greatest times in cinema history. I think it's done so perfectly that I almost give it 5 stars.

Linklater's signature mise-en-scène is here, but this film feels less personal and more intimately observational. I went in expecting a Midnight in Paris vibe, and I couldn't have been more wrong. I'm struck by Linklater's choice of a new approach, especially from a director known for an almost obsessive realism-like shooting Boyhood over 12 years or Merrily We Roll Along for two decades. Zoey Deutch, who plays Jean Seberg, told us that Linklater encouraged the actors to interpret rather than impersonate. The result is a film that feels remarkably authentic and free, because it all comes from the genuine experiences of the crew. As Linklater himself said, "It's about a bunch of young people making a film." This is a movie that any filmmaker or cinephile will absolutely adore.

(There is a line from the movie that I really LOVE and it goes like this - "when you direct a film, you are actually making 5 films: one when you write it, one when you cast it, one when you shoot it, one when you release it." The closest thing I found is from Robert Bresson: "A film is born three times. First in the writing of the script, then in the shooting, and finally in the editing". I need to print it out and put it above my desk.)

Nouvelle Vague (2025) is a comedy drama movie directed by Richard Linklater and it follows the shooting of Breathless, one of the first feature movies of the Nouvelle Vague era of French cinema, in 1959. I just got done watching this movie on Netflix and it was fantastic.

Positives for Nouvelle Vague (2025): It was awesome to watch a movie about the making of a French movie from 1959. The black-and-white cinematography gives this movie that old school filmmaking style that I love about old cinema. The acting from the cast is fantastic and their dialogue is equally great. The pacing of the movie is great and I was able to mostly keep up with the story. The movie has amazing production value with the sets and costumes. And finally, this is one of those movies that was made for fans of older movies from the early 1900s.

Negatives for Nouvelle Vague (2025): My only issue is the language barrier as I don't speak French and it made it hard for me to keep up with the movie at times.

Overall, Nouvelle Vague (2025) is a fantastic movie from Richard Linklater who still has one of the most consistent filmography of any filmmaker and that makes me happy.

In 2025 Richard Linklater released two exceptional works: Nouvelle Vague and Blue Moon. Both films are filled with Easter eggs, offering extra enjoyment for audiences who love cinema and the arts. The former is a French black-and-white film set in the late 1950s, revolving around several months of a filmmaking process. Mostly shot on location in France, it tells the story of the sudden rise of a cinematic genius.

Nouvelle Vague portrays the making of Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless, with Guillaume Marbeck playing Godard, transporting cinephiles back to the moment when the French New Wave was born. At that time, many of Godard's Cahiers du Cinéma colleagues Truffaut, Chabrol, etc., had already completed their debut films. The story begins when Truffaut brings The 400 Blows to a film festival, drawing the attention of the film criticism world toward Godard, who was known for his penetrating views and who believed that a true film critic should make a film themselves. Everyone was curious (and somewhat nervous) about what kind of film this critic-turned-director would make. In the end, this genius repeatedly broke rules and conventions, endlessly and joyfully.

What he subverted was not only cinematic language itself (everyone knows Breathless is full of jump cuts and improvisation), but also the filmmaking process. Godard constantly disrupted the production schedule, creating entirely according to his inspiration of the day. This left the female lead, the American actress Jean Seberg (played by Zoey Deutch, perfectly cast), rather confused. But her co-star, the debuting actor who would later become a major screen icon, Jean-Paul Belmondo (played by Aubry Dullin), seemed to enjoy the experience and threw himself into the filming. Sparks flew constantly among the three of them during production, of course with other crew members (including the assistant director, cinematographer, makeup, etc.) always present on set. They simply let Godard manipulate everything in his seemingly chaotic way: sometimes asking actors to stage little improvisational plays, other times sending them wandering aimlessly through the streets just to capture the atmosphere. When filming wrapped, Seberg half-jokingly told her manager she would never work with Godard again.

Yet Linklater precisely highlights Godard's brilliance through the constant capturing of those flashes of inspiration during the creative process, as well as the invaluable spirit of the entire French New Wave.

From the very first moments of Nouvelle Vague, I found myself grinning uncontrollably - even giggling out of sheer excitement. It's been years since a movie made me feel this alive, this inspired. Richard Linklater's film doesn't just pay homage to the French New Wave - it somehow becomes it.

The illusion is extraordinary. Every frame looks and feels as if it were shot in 1959, unearthed decades later from a film archive no one knew existed. The grain, the lighting, the movement of the camera - all of it feels so authentic that it plays tricks on your mind. You start to forget you're watching a modern film. I have no idea what combination of lenses, filters, or post-production alchemy was used to achieve this effect, but the result is breathtaking. It's as if Linklater and his team managed to fold time itself back into celluloid.

The sound design and editing are equally meticulous. The ambient hiss, the slightly imperfect cuts, even the rhythm of the dialogue - everything contributes to the illusion of watching something real from another era. And yet, despite all that stylistic precision, the film feels effortless, full of spontaneity and warmth.

The cast is simply perfect. Each actor inhabits their role with such natural grace that you believe these are real people caught in the birth of a cinematic revolution. They don't parody Godard or Truffaut; they channel the restless curiosity and romanticism that defined that generation of filmmakers.

What surprised me most is how emotional it all felt. Beneath the technical mastery, there's genuine affection - not just for the aesthetics of the French New Wave, but for the creative spirit behind it: that fearless desire to experiment, to risk failure in pursuit of something true.

I haven't seen Godard's Breathless in years, but now I can't wait to revisit it. Nouvelle Vague rekindled that same hunger - the need to rediscover where modern cinema came from, and why it still matters.

When the credits rolled, I just sat there, buzzing with energy. I wanted to pick up a camera and go shoot a movie, make something! That's the best compliment I can give a film: it doesn't end when the screen goes dark - it sends you back into the world wanting to create.

I'm already planning to see it again on the big screen. This might honestly be my favorite Richard Linklater film - a love letter to cinema so convincing, so joyful, that it feels like it's been waiting sixty years just to inspire us all over again.