The Jaw-Dropper
Richard Linklater—the man who gave us Before Sunrise and Boyhood—just unleashed the teaser for Nouvelle Vague, his French-language deep dive into Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless. And true to Godard’s spirit, it’s gloriously unhinged. A hidden camera in a mail cart? Check. Unknown actors? Double-check. A meta-narrative about the making of a film that itself broke all the rules? Oui.
Why This Changes Everything (Or Nothing)
Linklater isn’t just making a biopic—he’s staging a heist. The teaser’s grainy B&W footage and guerrilla-style cinematography mirror Breathless’s rebellious DNA, right down to casting newcomers like Guillaume Marbeck as Godard. It’s The Social Network meets Living in Oblivion—if Fincher shot on stolen film stock.
But here’s the kicker: Linklater, an American auteur, is directing entirely in French. It’s either a masterstroke or a Lost in Translation-level gamble. And with Zoey Deutch as Jean Seberg and Aubry Dullin as Belmondo, the casting is as bold as Godard’s jump cuts.
The Hidden Story
This isn’t the first time a director has mythologized filmmaking—Day for Night, 8½, and Babylon all danced on that edge. But Linklater’s twist? He’s not just telling the story; he’s recreating the chaos. The teaser’s sly nod to Godard’s hidden camera trick (“He films me with a mail cart”) winks at the New Wave’s DIY ethos.
An anonymous crew member reportedly muttered, “Linklater banned tripods. Said they were ‘too bourgeois.’” (Unconfirmed, but delicious if true.)
Now Pick a Side
Genius or garbage? A love letter to cinephiles or a pretentious stunt? Either way, Cannes is about to lose its mind.
