Nouvelle Vague (2025) [Film Review] — A Love Letter to the French New Wave

Richard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague arrives as a warm, witty tribute to the French New Wave, refracting the origin story of Jean-Luc Godard and the making of Breathless through a contemporary, conversational lens. The film isn’t a strict biopic so much as a playful reconstruction of a moment when cinema itself seemed ready to be reinvented.

Story & Structure — Recreating 1959 Paris

Moment-to-moment life on a scrappy production

Set amid cafes, cramped sets, and impromptu scripts, the movie follows Godard (Guillaume Marbeck) as he rallies collaborators, convinces Jean Seberg (Zoey Deutch) to join the gamble, and courts the volatility of young talent like Jean-Paul Belmondo (Aubry Dullin). The screenplay keeps the pace lively by privileging improvisation, on-set quarrels, and creative bravado over strict chronology—an approach that mirrors the era’s own improvisatory spirit.

Performances — Energetic and Charismatic

Near-ideal casting for larger-than-life figures

Guillaume Marbeck channels Godard’s mischievous intensity, often cloaked in sunglasses and aphorisms, while Zoey Deutch gives Seberg a mix of glamour and exasperation that grounds the film’s emotional axis. Aubry Dullin’s Belmondo is delightfully roguish, providing the physical swagger that contrasts with Godard’s cerebral chaos. The ensemble—including strong turns from supporting players—feels like a mini-class on cineaste temperament.

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Visual Style & Sound — Authenticity with a Modern Clarity

Vintage textures, precise framing

Cinematographer David Chambille opts for a vintage toolkit—4:3 framing, film grain, and projection marks—to evoke 1959. Yet the camera’s steadiness and modern clarity make the era readable to contemporary viewers, revealing the mechanics behind famous shots without collapsing into pure imitation. Khaiyyam-style sound and period-appropriate music complete the atmosphere.

Direction & Script — Affection Over Radicalism

A tidy love letter that sometimes softens its subject

Linklater’s direction delights in craft and anecdote, and writers Holly Gent, Laetitia Masson, and Vincent Palmo Jr. offer a digestible, witty screenplay. That accessibility is a virtue for newcomers, but the film’s polish can feel at odds with the raw provocation the French New Wave originally embodied. The movie teaches and charms, even if it occasionally domesticates its iconoclast.

Minor Flaws — Caricature vs. Character

When homage flirts with caricature

At times, Godard reads as a theatrical cipher more than a full human portrait; the film trades some complexity for memorable images. And because the narrative leans into well-known anecdotes, there’s little surprise for viewers steeped in film history. Still, this is a forgivable quibble in a film that earns affection through detail and reverence.

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Final Verdict — A Joyful Introduction

Perfect for cinephiles and curious newcomers

Nouvelle Vague is not a radical reinvention, but it is an entertaining, illuminating love letter to a movement that changed cinema forever. Linklater’s film works best as an invitation—part history lesson, part set-piece comedy—that will make viewers want to revisit Godard, Truffaut, and the originals. For those who love movies and the story of how they’re made, this is a delightful primer.

Rating: 7.5 / 10