The first thing that hits you about the poster isn't the typography or the Netflix logo—it's the faces. A young couple, locked in the kind of grin that only happens before reality catches up, framed in sharp black-and-white. Behind them, a figure with sunglasses and a camera points straight back at us. It's Godard reimagined, yes, but also Linklater tipping his hat to the way the French New Wave made cinema turn its gaze inward. The marketing isn't subtle: this is both a film about Breathless and a reflection of its unruly birth.
Netflix has unveiled the official trailer for Nouvelle Vague, Richard Linklater's latest and perhaps most unexpected pivot. Shot entirely in French, in stark monochrome, it's a playful yet reverent reconstruction of Jean-Luc Godard's 1960 classic Breathless. The film premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, continues its circuit at TIFF and NYFF this fall, and is now locked for release—October 31 in select theaters, followed by a November 14 Netflix debut.
The Poster Speaks Volumes
Look closer at the design: the oversized “N” and “V” in hot pink and yellow slash against the grayscale image like a modern graffiti tag on a vintage photograph. That's the tension of the film itself—Linklater straddling two eras, chasing the scrappy energy of the 1960s while packaging it for a streaming-first world. The tagline, or lack thereof, doesn't matter. The faces and the colors tell the story: reckless youth, stolen moments, cinema as rebellion.
The Trailer: Controlled Chaos
The trailer (watch it here) leans hard into handheld immediacy—jump cuts, cigarette smoke, bursts of laughter mid-argument. It isn't parody. Linklater isn't spoofing Godard. Instead, he's reconstructing the very chaos of making Breathless. Guillaume Marbeck, in his first feature, embodies Godard with a mix of arrogance and curiosity. Zoey Deutch slips into Jean Seberg's shoes, while Aubry Dullin channels Belmondo's swagger. None of them look like stars yet, which is exactly the point.
Why This Film Matters
Linklater has spent decades circling time, memory, and cinematic form (Boyhood, Before Sunrise, Waking Life). With Nouvelle Vague, he isn't just paying homage. He's poking at the question: can rebellion be recaptured when the system already knows how to package it? Godard shot Breathless with little more than instinct and defiance. Linklater, ironically, shoots his homage with Netflix backing. The paradox is the hook.
Key Things to Note About Nouvelle Vague
- Poster as Provocation
The bold color splash against monochrome captures the spirit of rebellion that defined the French New Wave. - Trailer's Restless Energy
Handheld camerawork, jagged editing, and youthful faces echo the raw texture of Breathless. - Casting Newcomers
Guillaume Marbeck and Aubry Dullin aren't household names, reinforcing the film's ethos of discovery over celebrity. - Festival Path
Premiered at Cannes 2025, screened at TIFF and NYFF, ensuring both cinephile prestige and international buzz. - Release Strategy
In select theaters October 31, 2025, then streaming worldwide on Netflix November 14, positioning it for awards chatter.
What do you think—can a meticulously crafted homage still spark the same unruly fire that Breathless did 65 years ago?
