‘Nouvelle Vague’ is a meticulous ode to the French New Wave

Zoey Deutch (left) and Guillaume Marbeck in a scene from “Nouvelle Vague.” (Netflix via AP)

Any time a notable figure of the French New Wave appears in Richard Linklater’s “Nouvelle Vague”, the camera pauses for a head-on shot — a roll call of legends: Claude Chabrol, Jacques Rivette, Éric Rohmer. It’s as if Linklater is cataloging rare cinematic species or playing an erudite round of New Wave “Guess Who?”

The film centers on Jean-Luc Godard (Guillaume Marbeck) and the making of “Breathless”, his 1960 debut that detonated film conventions. But “Nouvelle Vague” also captures the broader fever of late-1950s Paris — a generation of filmmakers hungry to reinvent cinema.

Shot in French, in the Academy ratio, and in black and white, Linklater’s meticulous reconstruction channels that revolutionary spirit. The result is stylish and hauntingly authentic, even if it lacks the reckless daring of its subject. It’s a painstaking tribute to an anarchic movement — a film Godard would likely loathe, yet one that still enchants.

The story begins with the premiere of François Truffaut’s “The 400 Blows”, where Godard — then the last of the “Cahiers du Cinéma” critics yet to direct — fears he’s missed the wave. At 29, he’s restless, brilliant, and impossible. Marbeck’s Godard, perpetually hidden behind dark glasses, radiates nervy confidence.

Producer Georges de Beauregard (Bruno Dreyfürst, excellent) reluctantly agrees to fund “Breathless” after Cannes buzz makes Godard bankable. He pleads for “a sexy slice of film noir.” Godard nods, then tosses out the rules entirely — no lights, no sets, no script, and no plan. “Time to enter the pantheon,” he declares on day one.

Much of “Nouvelle Vague” follows the chaotic shoot of “Breathless”, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo (Aubry Dullin) as a small-time crook and Jean Seberg (Zoey Deutch) as the American student he chases. The casting is so uncannily right that Catherine Schwartz, the fictional casting director, deserves an Oscar in some alternate universe.

The joy here is watching Godard invent cinema in real time — shooting for two hours, wrapping early, ignoring continuity. For Linklater (“Slacker”, “Before Sunset”), these moments resonate: both directors share faith in spontaneity and conversation as art forms.

“I’m trying to seize reality at random,” Godard says, half mission statement, half provocation. The film shows him stealing from Bergman, Bogart, and Duke Ellington, yet forging something unmistakably his own — “Breathless” as both love letter and rebellion against Hollywood.

More than nostalgia, “Nouvelle Vague” is about the messy birth of artistic identity — revering the past while torching its rules. Linklater’s recreation of 1959 Paris, from smoky cafés to clattering typewriters, feels alive with cigarette-fueled energy and defiant youth.

The film opens in theaters Friday and streams Nov. 14 on Netflix, arriving alongside Linklater’s other artist portrait, “Blue Moon”, with Ethan Hawke as lyricist Lorenz Hart. Both meditate on creation, failure, and endurance — and both feature Bogart quotes, naturally.

By the end, “Nouvelle Vague” reminds us why Godard’s spirit still matters. In an era obsessed with franchises and algorithms, his chaos feels radical again. Linklater’s film may be too polished for its subject, but it rekindles a precious truth: cinema’s greatness often comes from not knowing — and daring — what comes next. JAKE COYLE, MDT/AP Film Writer

“Nouvelle Vague”, a Netflix release is rated R by the Motion Picture Association for some language. Running time: 105 minutes. ★★★★