Richard Linklater’s ‘Nouvelle Vague’ Offers a Playful Tribute to the Making of ‘Breathless’

Richard Linklater’s latest film, ‘Nouvelle Vague,’ is a black-and-white homage to Jean-Luc Godard’s seminal 1960 film ‘Breathless,’ blending cinephilic reverence with a dose of satire. Rather than aiming for a strict historical recreation, the movie playfully inserts viewers into the chaos of its making, complete with nods to iconic French New Wave figures like Truffaut, Chabrol, Rivette, and Varda. Zoey Deutch portrays Jean Seberg with charm and wit, highlighting Seberg’s unique presence and the challenges she faced, while newcomer Guillaume Marbeck offers a stylized take on Godard himself. Despite a richly nostalgic visual style and jazz-infused score, ‘Nouvelle Vague’ critiques the mythologizing of the French New Wave by presenting its protagonists as ambitious but often improvisational artists unaware of the movement’s eventual legacy. Some critics feel the film fails to capture the groundbreaking nature of ‘Breathless,’ though it effectively spotlights the experimental spirit behind it. The film invites a younger audience to discover the cinematic history it celebrates, even if it sometimes leans into surface-level iconography. Premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, it is currently seeking U.S. distribution.