Ep1177: IndieSeen: Nouvelle Vague (2025) - Movie Review
Who would be so foolish as to mention Jean-Luc Godard and Ed Wood in the same sentence? Well, we just did--and Richard Linklater drew a (perhaps unintentional) parallel between the two polar-opposite filmmakers in his latest movie, Nouvelle Vague!
On today's IndieSeen, Ian and Sujewa welcome back Jeff York to review one of the year's very best films: a breezy, loving, fictionalized look at the filming of Godard's groundbreaking French crime/romance, Breathless. Guillaume Marbeck stars as a young Godard, who is the last of his clique of film critic colleagues to try his hand at actually making a movie.
He recruits Algerian soldier-turned-actor Jean-Paul Belmondo (Aubry Dullin) and up-and-coming American acting sensation Jean Seberg (Zoey Deutch) to star as doomed lovers on the run. During his frantic 20-day shoot, Godard must dodge a nervous producer, a suspicious cast and crew, and a complete lack of filming permits in order to finish a work that would help redefine his beloved medium (jump-cuts, anyone?).
In this spoilerific love letter to Nouvelle Vague (which translates to "French Wave"), the guys look at how Linklater (Dazed and Confused, the Before Trilogy) captures a time, place, and, most importantly, burgeoning creative spirit. They also stray far afield into a debate about the effectiveness of title portraits--and whether or not they derail this movie!
Whether you're a devoted cineaste and fan of the French Wave--or if you think "Jean-Luc Godard" was that bald guy from Star Trek, Nouvelle Vague is an open invitation to explore colorful characters, a passion for filmmaking, and the calling to do something creative--no matter how much (or how little) time, talent, and experience one has. Kinda like Ed Wood!
Nouvelle Vague is now streaming exclusively on Netflix!
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Show Links
Watch the Nouvelle Vague (2025) trailer.
Keep up with Jeff York's criticism and caricatures at The Establishing Shot and Pipeline Artists.
Flashback to Ian and Sujewa's review of Breathless!
Support Sujewa's new film project, 53 Spaceships, the latest adventure of Cosmic Disco Detective Rene!
Watch Sujewa's latest film, Cosmic Disco Detective Rene for free on YouTube!
Rent The Secret Society for Slow Romance (the predecessor to Cosmic Disco Detective Rene).
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