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Guillaume Marbeck

Zoey Deutch

Aubry Dullin

Adrien Rouyard

Antoine Besson

Jodie Ruth-Forest

Bruno Dreyfürst

Benjamin Cléry

Matthieu Penchinat

Pauline Belle

Frank Cicurel

Blaise Pettebone

Benoît Bouthors

Paolo Luka Noé

Jade Phan-Gia

Jonas Marmy

Côme Thieulin

Alix Bénézech

Léa Luce Busato

Tom Novembre

Laurent Mothe

Aurélien Lorgnier

Lou Chrétien-Février

Jean-Jacques Le Vessier

Jeanne Arènes

Robinson Fyot

Cosima Bevernaege

Pierre-François Garel

Grégory Dupont

Iliana Zabeth

Pauline Scoupe-Fournier

Baptiste Roussillon

Niko Ravel

Isis Fleischer

Pierre Grenier

Richard Linklater

David Chambille

Holly Gent

Laetitia Masson

Vincent Palmo Jr.

Michèle Pétin

Emmanuel Montamat

Laurent Pétin

Franck-Pascal Alquinet

Thibault Debleds

Turid Follvik

Eloïse Ganem

Karina Gruais

Mathilde Humeau

Dominique Magnier

Margarida Miranda

Jean Bolzinger

Paul Quintane

Svetlane Vaesken

Robin Welch

Sarah Andriamanankaja

Stéphane Canet

Hubert Engammare

Stéphane Manaranche

François Borgeaud

Cindy Gaschereau

Ophélie Stern

Florian Cornet

Sergio Henríquez

Helene Lelardoux

Julien Martin

Jean Minondo

Serge Rouquairol

Christophe Vingtrinier

Benjamin Blatière

Bryan Gossuin

Téo L'Huillier

Christophe Laya

Joel Pinto

Thomas Scourneau

Dominique Fouassier

Mathilde Bory

François Comparot

Josselin Delas

Hugo Devèze

Jean-Philippe Labille

Perrine Lauras

Sophie Lelou

Pierre Colse

Anne Kazemzadegan

Elsa Capus

Louis Fichelle

Nicolas Economides

Carole Reinhard

Camille Arpajou

Robbert de Klerk

Emilia Napame

Pascaline Chavanne

Catherine Schwartz

John Sloss

Stéphane Batut

Florian Fabre

Brent Marchant

Landmark moments in virtually every area of endeavor are worthy of, and frequently celebrated in, films that applaud the significance of these accomplishments, and that even includes groundbreaking developments in moviemaking. These cinematic commemorations are generally imbued with a sense of respectful reverence regarding their subject matter, recognition befitting such achievements. However, the latest offering from director Richard Linklater presents a puzzle on that front, given that it incorporates a pervasive degree of ambiguity that may leave viewers scratching their heads, despite the undeniable excellence of the picture itself. In 1959, as the French New Wave filmmaking movement was beginning to find its stride through the works of new directors like François Truffaut (Adrien Rouyard) and Claude Chabrol (Antoine Besson), another new aspiring talent, Jean-Luc Godard (Guillaume Marbeck), a longtime, decidedly restless movie critic at the magazine Cahiers du Cinéma, began work on his first project, “Breathless,” the story of a thief on the run and his relationship with a young American woman in Paris. The film would star Jean-Paul Belmondo (Aubry Dullin), a longtime friend of Godard and newcomer to the business, and Jean Seberg (Zoey Deutch), a rapidly rising star in Hollywood circles. Like other New Wave offerings, the production featured innovative filming techniques, new approaches to storytelling, and alternative, sometimes edgy content compared to conventional works of French cinema. However, in the interest of experimenting with the untried, Godard took these principles to an extreme, working without a script, not informing his cast of what was being asked of them, making minimal use of rehearsal and shooting time, and abandoning many of the accepted standards of traditional filmmaking. Needless to say, this way of working frustrated his stars, as well as his producer, Georges de Beauregard (Bruno Dreyfürst), who envisioned his investment evaporating before his eyes amidst the relentless chaos on the set of this shoot. Yet, when offered suggestions or given orders on how to proceed, Godard would not be moved, insisting that his improvisations and spontaneity were essential to the creation of this project. In telling Godard’s story, Linklater masterfully taps into the rampant disorder on the set, depicting the filmmaking as an unfolding trainwreck, frequently commented upon by Godard with vacuous, stream of consciousness observations and justifications about how and why things were transpiring as they did. Yet, as history has since shown, “Breathless” went down as a groundbreaking work of cinema in the French New Wave, inspiring innovations that would subsequently make their way into the art of filmmaking, influences that have lasted to this day. But, based on this offering, one might readily develop doubts. Indeed, is “Nouvelle Vague” intended as homage or parody? Good cases could be made for either argument. (In the interest of full disclosure, I’m not an especially huge fan of “Breathless”; while it may have been inventive in some ways for the time it was made, it comes across today as terribly dated, perhaps even pretentious, despite the influence it had on many other New Wave releases that came along in later years.) Nevertheless, whatever impression one might ultimately take away from this film, it’s undeniably an impressive work, beautifully filmed in gorgeous black and white, with fine performances by the ensemble, an excellent period piece production design, super cool costuming (right down to Godard’s ever-present sunglasses), a smooth, sophisticated jazz soundtrack, and utterly hilarious yet understated writing. Admittedly, this one is unlikely to appeal to anyone other than diehard cinephiles and those intimately familiar with “Breathless” and its cast and crew, but those in the know on these subjects are sure to enjoy this release immensely as one of 2025’s best films and, arguably, one of Linklater’s most noteworthy projects. Think of it as a love letter with a serious, tongue-in-cheek funny bone, and you’ve got an idea what this one is all about. This Netflix offering may not leave you breathless, but it will likely leave you vastly entertained.

Shot by Shot

Casting Zoey Deutch and the Stars of Nouvelle Vague

Richard Linklater on Nouvelle Vague - FLC Luminaries

Richard Linklater: 'Filmmakers should make a film about making a film'

Richard Linklater, Zoey Deutch, Guillaume Marbeck, Aubry Dullin & Michèle Pétin on Nouvelle Vague

Official Trailer [Subtitled]

Trailer [Subtitled]

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Nouvelle Vague

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Cast

Guillaume Marbeck

Zoey Deutch

Aubry Dullin

Adrien Rouyard

Antoine Besson

Jodie Ruth-Forest

Bruno Dreyfürst

Benjamin Cléry

Matthieu Penchinat

Pauline Belle

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