When I saw this advertised on Netflix, I briefly thought it was quite old, perhaps belatedly released like The Other Side of the Wind. That's a deliberate nod to the subject. Once I understood, I was sold.
By 1959, film critic Jean-Luc Godard has directed a short but feels much less accomplished than his cinematic comrades. He finally agrees to direct a romantic crime story co-written by François Truffaut and Claude Chabrol, which would become Breathless. Godard's many unconventional techniques, including long periods without shooting, annoy pretty much everyone he works with, especially female lead Jean Seberg and producer Georges de Beauregard. Other famous figures who turn up include Jean Cocteau, Éric Rohmer, and Roberto Rosselini.
For the record, I liked Breathless, but at the time of viewing, I couldn't figure out what was so classic about it. I later learned that Godard fed the actors lines right before delivery to sound natural. I'll grant that the gestalt is not formulaic, and it works better than other Godard flicks I know.
Netflix claims that NV director Richard Linklater also used such techniques. I could not find any listed besides nearly square screen dimensions (a.k.a. the Academy ratio) and no color. Hopefully, he didn't go out of his way to annoy anyone. BTW, not only do I not recognize any of the actors' names, but only Zoey Deutch as Seberg gets her own Wikipedia page. Hmm, maybe the casting was unconventional too.
I've come to realize that Linklater isn't big on buildup. His movies keep meandering and/or maintaining a rather constant mood. NV is no exception, which makes the 106 minutes feel a little longer. Of course, a true story has more of an excuse.
Fortunately, for all the irritation on screen, I didn't feel too bad myself. Sure, Godard awakened me to the fact that constant sunglasses make jerks look like bigger jerks, but I hardly blame a New Wave director for breaking known rules. He does eventually agree to compromises. I think Seberg was a little too impatient with him, and her desire to have Chabrol direct instead was probably a bad idea.
For apparent simplicity, the subtitles are inextricable from closed captioning. Get used to seeing them specify when characters switch between French and English. At least it helped me realize who was speaking off camera.
NV is a respectable tribute to a respectable piece. It doesn't make me want to watch more Godard or more Linklater, but I enjoyed it in itself.
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