This is the story of Godard making Breathless, told in the style and spirit in which Godard made Breathless.
The Garden Cinema View:
Richard Linklater's Nouvelle Vague is a stylish and playful tribute to the pioneers of the French New Wave and the making of Jean-Luc Godard's seminal Breathless.
Striped t-shirts, dark sunglasses, and endless cigarettes fill the screen, while Linklater employs jarring jump-cuts and a 1.37:1 aspect ratio to mirror Godard's aesthetic. Though successful in evoking the New Wave iconography embedded in our subconscious, the film occasionally risks becoming a cartoonish depiction of what was an intellectually thrilling moment in cinema history. Belmondo, and especially Seberg, deserve more three-dimensional portrayals to do justice to their complex personalities.
The film finds its footing in the second half as we witness Godard's unorthodox and daring filming process. Here, Nouvelle Vague becomes an inspiration for artists across generations: a reminder to be brave and experimental, even without financial backing.
