Nouvelle Vague

First off, I'm one of the Godard detractors who consider him the most overrated film maker of all time. This is by no means a solitary view and the weaknesses of "Breathless" were pointed out by many ever since it came out - the absence of story, gimmicks over substance, JLG not giving his actors anything to do, JLG celebrating his own genius while copying the works of others etc., etc.

But even for those who don't like the man and his work, "Nouvelle Vague" could be an interesting experiment - an American film maker presenting his own interpretation of the birth of a movement he obviously views as imperative for his own work. However, Linklater is much too reverent, recreating dialogues which enforce the image a rebellious artists, without explaining where the rebellion is supposed to be. We see Melville and Bresson at work, but instead of working with the fact of "Pickpocket" being filmed at the same time as "Breathless", there is just a little existentialist dialogue, and no discussion of challenges to the studio system.

Within the parade of creators, there is one conspicuous absence - Louis Malle, who (re)invented the techniques of the Nouvelle Vague (like shooting with natural light), but had nothing to do with "Cahiers du Cinema". "Breathless", to put it politely, borrows quite heavily from "Elevator to the Gallows" (1958), and it is a bit strange of Linklater to omit this. He also presents Agnès Varda as a butch Lesbian, which she was not - she had a son with Jacques Demy. Varda is also more and more considered the real founding mother of the Nouvelle Vague (since "La Pointe Courte" came out in 1955), so it feels a little dated to brush her off this way.

What must strike a cineast off most is the treatment of Jean Seberg, who comes across as intelligent, but whose life is only mentioned in passing. Her marriage was at that point falling apart, and right after filming of "Breathless" she met Romain Gary. Not part of this story, but her career and how it was ended by J. The FBI for her support of the Panthers, would make for a far more interesting film than this homage.

"Nouvelle Vague" is a decent interpretation, an American's dream of Paris in the late 1950s, but it's too polite and too reserved, especially for Linklater.

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.)

Love this movie. So captures the style of the French New Wave. But a little tongue in cheek. It helps if you are already familiar with the style, especially that of Godard. If you haven't seen Breathless, watch it first and then watch this soon after. Absolutely delightful. Can't wait to watch it again!

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.

As "Nouvelle Vague" (2025 release from France; 106 min.) opens, Jean-Luc Godard, Francois Truffaut and Claude Chabrol are watching a movie in a theater. Afterwards they meet up with friends somewhere. It turns out that Godard is the only one of the three still to direct his first movie, but he claims that he is ready to do so. At this point we are 10 minutes into the movie...

Couple of comments: this is the latest from director Richard Linklater ("Boyhood", "Everybody Wants Some!!"). Here he goes to France to recreate how Godard filmed his 1960 debut film "Breathless", and Linklater does so by using the New Wave style of filming that came in vogue 65 years ago. The idea is as simple as it is brilliant. The devil is of course in the details, and that is where the production team really shines. I couldn't stop marveling at how authentic Paris circa 1959-1960 looks. Check out the countless vintage cars! Oh, and did I mention that the film is in glorious B&W, and with a screen ratio of 4:3? Just like "Breathless" itself. The acting performances are stellar throughout, including Guillaume Marbeck as Godard and Aubry Dullin as Belmondo. But the highest praise belongs to Zoey Deutch, playing Jean Seberg, the American actress based in Paris. Deutch captures it perfectly. They act out a number of pivotal scenes of "Breathless" but always showing it as someone observing it, not in it. If it sounds like I'm gushing about "Nouvelle Vague", well it's because I am!

"Nouvelle Vague" premiered at this year's Cannes Film Festival to immediate and wide critical acclaim. The Cannes screening caused a bidding war for the movie's distribution rights (ultimately won by Netflix). The movie is currently rated 90% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, and it's easy to see why. "Nouvelle Vage" started streaming on Netflix this weekend, and I couldn't wait to see it. If you are a fan of Richard Linklater's or Zoey Deutch's earlier work, or simply a fan of French movies from the early 1960's, I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion. You won't regret it!