Nouvelle Vague

This monochromatic 2025 period piece is a cinephile's wet dream of a film from an obvious cineaste, but there's enough energy and craftsmanship here to attract the more casual viewer. A true renaissance man, director Richard Linklater just released "Blue Moon", his evocative WWII-era valentine to the creative titans of Broadway. With this film, he showcases his in-depth knowledge of the mid-century French New Wave movement, in particular, the making of Jean-Luc Godard's seminal debut, 1960's "Breathless" ("A Bout de Soufflé"). The film features relatively unknown actors portraying legendary cinema figures such as Roberto Rossellini, Francois Truffaut, and Jean-Pierre Melville. At the center of the screenplay by Holly Gent and Vince Palmo is Godard, a film critic determined to become a filmmaker. As effectively portrayed by Guillaume Marbeck, Godard is an arrogant disruptor who recruits two young actors, Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg, to star as a boastful petty criminal and the American student who is smitten with him. Aubry Dillon is a dead ringer for the charismatic Belmondo, while Zoey Deutch in an accurate pixie cut captures Seberg's fierce reticence during the production. If you've not seen "Breathless", you might have trouble tracking the story being told, but that confusion was part of the appeal of the original movie. Linklater knows that and runs with it in this stylish homage.

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.)

I was in France as a student for a couple of months about the same time that "Breathless" was being made. Then didn't see that movie until some time after being back in the US. At the time I didn't think of the film as an example of "new wave" cinema, just as a wonderful reminder of places I'd seen. The characters didn't bear any resemblance to the French students and adults I'd met, however. I felt Seberg's character was pretty dumb, falling in with Belmondo's thief, no matter how charming and sexy he was.

This movie, "Nouvelle Vague", brought it all back. It evoqued the streets during that time so perfectly! And, Jean Seberg was only a year older than me! (Though I looked up Zoey Deutch and she was closer to 30ish when she made the film.)

I had never really thought about the original movie in terms of its new wave aspects. As scene after scene gets shot with no rehearsal and barely a script you think, "How will this thing ever get edited together into a comprehensible movie?" But of course In retrospect we know that Breathless did win awards.

Does "Nouvelle Vague" really need a definitive ending? We all know how things turn out for everybody in the long run. Like they say, the enjoyment is in the journey.

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.

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.