Film Review – Nouvelle Vague

November 14th, 2025 | POSTED BY Allen Almachar

The French New Wave has become such a milestone in the history of cinema that it risks being under appreciated. Take any film course and you’ll eventually arrive at it. It’s a major inflection point – we can see the change in filmmaking technique almost immediately. It ushered in the modern age by making unconventional choices – shooting outdoors, using natural light, improvising dialogue, ignoring traditional plots, extensive use of jump cuts, having characters break the fourth wall by looking directly at the camera, etc. All of this may sound standard now, but in the 1950s and 60s, it was unheard of. The French New Wave directors created a new cinematic language that has lasted to this very day.

There were countless contributors to the movement, one of the biggest being Jean-Luc Godard and his film, Breathless (1960). What can be said about it that hasn’t already been said in countless essays and reviews? Its place as one of the great masterpieces is firmly established. In Nouvelle Vague (2025), director Richard Linklater recounts the making of it. We follow a young Godard (Guillaume Marbeck) anxious to make his feature length debut. His friend François Truffaut (Antoine Besson) has just made a major splash at Cannes with The 400 Blows (1959). Godard is the last of the Cahiers du Cinéma critics to make the transition to director. He jumps into the work head on, obtaining funding from producer Georges de Beauregard (Bruno Dreyfürst) and enlisting stars Jean-Paul Belmondo (Aubry Dullin) and Jean Seberg (Zoey Deutch). But as soon as production starts, Godard’s unusual methods and uncooperative personality affects everyone involved – in positive and negative ways.

It should be noted that Linklater was part of his own cinematic “wave” – that of the American Independent Movement of the 1990s. Having one artist give tribute to those that have clearly influenced them adds an extra layer of subtext to Nouvelle Vague. With writers Holly Gent, Laetitia Masson, Vincent Palmo Jr., and Michèle Pétin, Linklater molds his narrative not just as a historical retelling, but as a translation of the sights, sounds, and feelings of those classic French movies. David Chambille’s cinematography utilizes 35mm black and white photography with a 1.37:1 aspect ratio – similar specs that were used at that time. To further mimic the style of the New Wave, film grain and scratches are added to the visuals, including the occasional burn marks to signify reel changes. The editing (Catherine Schwartz) jumps around in time and place almost impulsively. One of the more clever touches involve characters introduced looking directly at the camera, accompanied by a title card letting us know who they are.

The casting department went above and beyond the call of duty. Every real-life person we meet – from Godard, Seberg, Belmondo, Truffaut, etc. – is matched with an actor that doesn’t just look like them, they look identical. Even characters that are relegated to smaller parts (even cameos), bare an uncanny resemblance to their counterpart. From Agnes Varda, Claude Chabrol, Éric Rohmer and more, the abundance of familiar names and faces will delight any French film enthusiast. But the success of the casting isn’t just how the characters look, but in their attitude and screen presence. This is especially true for Aubry Dullin. Dullin resembles Jean-Paul Belmondo and carries the same swagger. The movements, the clothes, the way he smokes a cigarette – it all contains Belmondo’s famous charm. Where Seberg has trouble adjusting to Godard’s methods, Belmondo takes it in stride. He sees the production’s spontaneity as a game and plays along willingly.

And then there is Godard himself. In his feature length debut, Guillaume Marbeck inhabits all the familiar traits and mannerisms, including Godard’s recognizable sunglasses. However, the writing flirts with mythologizing the director. We get several of his well-known quotes, including his belief that “All you need to make a movie is a girl and a gun.” However, his dialogue is so laden with philosophical sayings, arguments about capturing reality, and relentless proclamations of his own genius that it very nearly trips into caricature. There is no denying Godard upended the status quo of the entire industry, but the narrative doesn’t quite explore his psyche beyond his drive. Maybe that was all he was about – that without cinema he was just a blank slate. His character development is dedicated solely by his passion to make Breathless. This isn’t enough to derail the entire film, but for those who want to learn about Godard outside of what is already known, they may walk away wanting more.

That said, there is an undercurrent running throughout Nouvelle Vague that isn’t mentioned but is clearly present. It’s the relationship between Godard and Truffaut. For those of you who aren’t aware, the two were close friends and collaborators. However, their relationship ended in 1973 in a very public and heated feud. Differences in philosophy and stylistic approach caused a riff that Godard and Truffaut never mended. Although never overtly addressed, the seeds of the breakup are everywhere here. Little disagreements, playful taunting, minor slights and resentments – they all seem insignificant but speak volumes for what will eventually occur. It appears Linklater wishes he could turn back the hands of time to give Godard and Truffaut another chance to heal their wounds. The final shot is a distinct image of how Linklater wants to remember his cinematic heroes.

Like the era it presents, Nouvelle Vague is filled with joy and youthful energy. There’s electricity and charisma bursting from the seams. It’s as though we stepped out of a time machine to watch events unfold as they happen. There have been numerous movies about moviemaking, but few are as much fun as this.  Breathless has inspired generations of filmmakers – Richard Linklater included – and will continue to do so for as long as cinema exists. This is not only a period piece, but a celebration of a key moment in history told by a filmmaker speaking directly from their heart.

Agnes Varda, Antoine Besson, Aubry Dullin, Breathless, Bruno Dreyfürst, Catherine Schwartz, Claude Chabrol, David Chambille, Éric Rohmer, Featured, François Truffaut, French New Wave, Georges de Beauregard, Guillaume Marbeck, Holly Gent, Jean Seberg, Jean-Luc Godard, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Laetitia Masson, Michèle Pétin, Nouvelle Vague, Richard Linklater, The 400 Blows, Vincent Palmo Jr., Zoey Deutch