When Richard Linklater first considered making a film about the French New Wave, he assumed it would be appreciated everywhere — except in France.
“I thought they’d hate that an American director was doing this,” Linklater admitted on Sunday. “We’ll screen this around the world, but never in France.”
Yet on Saturday, Linklater premiered Nouvelle Vague at the Cannes Film Festival — a bold move, bringing a film about the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless to the center of the French cinema world. He acknowledged the audacity of the decision.
Despite the risk, Nouvelle Vague turned out to be one of the festival’s biggest hits. Amid a lineup filled with heavier, more serious dramas, Linklater’s film stood out as a charming, affectionate tribute to the art of filmmaking.
Shot in black-and-white and styled like a classic French New Wave film, Nouvelle Vague recreates the process behind Breathless, one of France’s most iconic films. Guillaume Marbeck portrays a young Jean-Luc Godard — 29 years old, constantly in sunglasses — as he embarks on his first feature film and tries to revolutionize cinema.
The film, spoken in French, is up for the Palme d’Or and currently seeking distribution. It not only traces the day-to-day production of Breathless, but also captures the spirit of an entire cinematic movement. Legendary figures like François Truffaut, Agnès Varda, Claude Chabrol, Jean-Pierre Melville, Éric Rohmer, Roberto Rossellini, and Jacques Rivette appear throughout the film.
Linklater said on Sunday that his goal was to make viewers feel “like they were hanging out with the Nouvelle Vague in 1959.”
He explained that the idea came from conversations with fellow cinephiles in Austin, Texas over a decade ago. “We started talking about this 13 years ago. This era has meant so much to me as a filmmaker — it represented freedom and personal storytelling. After making so many films, I felt it was time to make one about making films.”
In Nouvelle Vague, the roles of Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg — the stars of Breathless — are played by Aubry Dullin and Zoey Deutch. Linklater meticulously recreates several iconic scenes using camera movements and visual styles authentic to the late 1950s.
“We couldn’t shoot quite as fast — we had to record sound,” Linklater joked, referring to how Godard would dub the sound later. “It was a crazy idea. I’ve never seen a film quite like this. I said: we’re making a 1959 film, but it’s not a Godard film. You can’t imitate Godard. You’ll fail. But we could capture the era’s energy.”
In the story, Godard wrestles with doubt, especially from Seberg, who is skeptical about the loosely structured shoot. There’s no full script, filming days are short, and dialogue is often improvised. In one memorable moment, Godard directs his actors to simply quote lines from Humphrey Bogart movies. His defense? “Not plagiarism. Homage.”
For Linklater, Nouvelle Vague was a return to his roots. He compared the experience to his early filmmaking days, referencing Slacker, Dazed and Confused, and Before Sunrise — all films with a strong independent spirit influenced by the New Wave.
“Making this film, I felt like I erased my own history,” Linklater said. “I felt like I was back in my late 20s, making my first movie. I told a friend last night — it felt like I was 28 again.”
