Leave Em Breathless- NOUVELLE VAGUE at NYFF 2025
by Jason Godbey
Nouvelle Vague is the story of the making of Breathless, the first feature by Jean-Luc Godard, widely regarded as one of the most influential films ever made. Shot in black and white, in French with English subtitles, framed in the same aspect ratio as Breathless, this film could have come across as pretentious and awful. As an American filmmaker approaching this subject matter, Richard Linklater took quite a risk and could very well have fallen on his face, but fortunately, he is able to walk the tightrope with the tone and style as to avoid the pitfalls. He does so by approaching the subject matter with humor, providing moments where the film gives the audience the occasional wink letting us know it’s not taking itself too seriously.
This film is cast beautifully. George Clooney once said famous people shouldn’t play famous people, and it is to Linklater’s and the film’s credit that we don’t have famous American movie stars playing these icons of French cinema. The illusion would have been lost the second Timothee Chalamet or Alden Ehrenreich appeared on screen. The ensemble cast lead by Guillaume Marbeck as Godard, Aubry Dullin as Jean-paul Belmondo, and Zoey Deutch as Jean Seberg is astounding and worth the price of admission alone. Their resemblance to their real-life counterparts is close enough as to not be distracting, and they are incredibly naturalistic in their approach, letting you know these were real people, not just screen legends.
Marbeck is pitch-perfect as Godard, the man wanting to make his movie his way despite frustrating his American star and being a detriment to film by refusing to adhere to a schedule. Marbeck is so perfectly cast one could scarcely imagine another actor in the role. Dullin captures the swagger and sex appeal of Belmondo, a feat previously thought to be impossible. Deutch is captivating as Jean Seberg. She’s not only able to recreate Seberg’s moments in the film, but she gives us insight as to what it must have been like to be the American outsider in this very French world.
Amazingly, there are no hints of the modern world that take you out of the movie. The art direction, set design, and cinematography are perfect recreations of the locations used in Breathless, so much so you’ll think Linklater traveled back in time to capture them.
Nouvelle Vague is a love letter to the iconic films that revolutionized cinema in the 1960s. I highly recommend it along with Godard’s Breathless to which this film is a perfect companion. Nouvelle Vague is screening as part of this year’s New York Film Festival. For more information visit the festival website. Warning: Watching this film may compel talk incessantly about movies, drink a carafe wine, and smoke about a thousand cigarettes.
Originally published at http://behindtherabbitproductions.wordpress.com on September 26, 2025.
