Nouvelle Vague
Linklater's chatty take on how Godard and friends created the French New Wave
The brief
Linklater turns the birth of the French New Wave into a chatty, behind-the-scenes hangout that feels like Before Sunset but with film nerds chain-smoking and arguing about Hitchcock. Guillaume Marbeck nails Godard's pretentious-genius energy without making him insufferable, while the script wisely focuses on the messy creative process rather than mythologizing these guys. It moves at a leisurely pace that matches Linklater's usual conversational rhythm, building to the moment when all their theoretical bullshit finally becomes Breathless. Perfect for anyone who loves making-of documentaries, film history deep dives, or basically anything Linklater has ever made.
The verdict
If you love film history, conversational dramedies, and Linklater's unhurried storytelling style, this is a delightful deep dive into the creative chaos behind the French New Wave. If you need fast-paced plotting or aren't interested in watching pretentious film students debate cinema theory for nearly two hours, you'll find this as tedious as sitting through a graduate seminar.
Watch with
- 👥 Film students and cinephiles who love behind-the-scenes stories
- 👫 Anyone expecting typical Linklater fans will love this
- ⚠️ May bore viewers unfamiliar with Godard or film history
Heads up
- Frequent smoking throughout (frequent)
- Some French language with subtitles (moderate)
Credits
- Director
- Richard Linklater
- Cast
- Guillaume Marbeck, Zoey Deutch, Aubry Dullin, Adrien Rouyard, Antoine Besson, Jodie Ruth-Forest, Bruno Dreyfürst
Official synopsis
After writing for Cahiers du cinéma, a young Jean-Luc Godard decides making films is the best film criticism.
The Double
Make a night of it
Pair this with Blue Film (2026)
Both explore the creative process behind groundbreaking cinema.
Total runtime: 1h 46m + 1h 22m = 3h 8m
