The latest feature from director Richard Linklater is the appropriately titled Nouvelle Vague. In fascinating and often charming detail, it recounts the production of Jean-Luc Godard’s seminal 1960 debut, Breathless. As a long-time fan of the French New Wave, I can’t recommend it highly enough, even if you’re not familiar with or enamored of the movement. The movie entertains in ways that quickly establish it as a companion piece to fellow New-Waver Francois Truffaut’s Day for Night (1973; Pierre-William Glenn).
On the cinematography front, David Chambille’s black and white images are nothing short of amazing. I tend to judge visuals not so much by their surface but on how they make me feel. In this instance, he pulled off a spectacular double play. Shot in period-faithful 1.37 aspect ratio (mostly with the Sony Venice 2 and a smattering of Ilford HP5 and Kodak 5222), he delivered a flawless recreation of not just the story’s time and place, but its defining textures and grayscales. Being familiar with Godard’s output, I often found myself marveling at how well Chambille matched Breathless cinematographer Raoul Coutard’s eye. Along with Darius Khondji, ASC, AFC’s work in Marty Supreme (2025; Josh Safdie), Nouvelle Vague is one of the best-shot movies of the current awards season!
Like so many other small independents, it was shamefully under-promoted upon its release last October. But don’t let that deter you. If you can’t catch it in a theater, it’s currently running on Netflix. Give it a shot!