Nouvelle Vague

Richard Linklater recreates the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s landmark feature debut, penning a nostalgic love letter to the rebellious spirit of the French New Wave. Cinephilia exudes from every frame of this delightful black-and-white homage, regaling how Breathless came to be. In 1959, Godard is the last of the Cahiers du Cinéma writers to make the jump into feature filmmaking. His reluctancy to attach Truffaut and Chabrol’s names to the final script to facilitate financing foreshadows the film’s chaotic shoot. However, his singular vision, despite drawing exasperation from star Jean Seberg and producer Georges de Beauregard, provides several moments of genuine cinematic ingenuity. Along the way, we are treated to a myriad of appearances by figures connected to the movement, from influential masters Melville, Rossellini and Cocteau to fellow New Wavers Rohmer, Rivette and Varda. As vibrant as the film it depicts, with an impeccable cast and Linklater’s mastery over the medium, Nouvelle Vague celebrates the revolutionary alchemy that changed cinema forever.

Diana Cipriano, Ensemble: The Filmmakers from Richard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague season curator

See our Ensemble: The Filmmakers from Richard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague season.