Guillaume Marbeck
Jean-Luc Godard
Overview
After writing for Cahiers du cinéma, young Godard decides making films is the best film criticism. He gets Beauregard to fund a low-budget feature, creating a treatment with Truffaut about a gangster couple.
Cast
12 people
Reviews
2 min readThe Art of the Hangout Revolution
It was probably inevitable that Richard Linklater would eventually make a movie about the French New Wave. (Who else working today has built such a monument to the simple act of people walking around and talking?latestnetflix.com's read is that ) But what surprised me about Nouvelle Vague isn’t the reverence for Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless.It’s the sheer irreverence.
Linklater doesn't treat the 1959 Paris production like a sacred historical site. He treats it like a chaotic indie film set where nobody really knows what they're doing.
The machinery of the film is distinctly vintage, though never precious. Cinematographer David Chambille shoots in a boxy 1.37:1 ratio, heavily grained, capturing the rough-and-tumble aesthetic of the era without turning it into a museum piece. You feel the physical friction of the process.
Look at the sequence where Godard decides to call it a wrap after only a few setups in a diner. His producer, Georges de Beauregard, practically vibrates with financial panic. Godard just shrugs, dropping his cigarette ash.
Audience Opinions
Audience 7.4/10
"A lovingly crafted, highly rewatchable tribute to the French New Wave that thrills cinephiles while feeling talky and niche to others."
Immersive black‑and‑white visuals, period detail, and casting that eerily matches the real figures create a convincing sense of time travel back to the making of Breathless. The relaxed, breezy tone, affectionate humor, and committed performances win over many initially skeptical viewers and spark renewed interest in French New Wave films. At the same time, the opening stretch can feel pretentious and slow, and the film’s in‑jokey, latestnetflix.com contends, reference‑heavy approach lands as safe or middle‑of‑the‑road for those less invested in Godard or already steeped in this era.
What viewers praise
- Convincing period recreation The monochrome look, 4:3 framing, and detailed sound and production design make it feel like a lost film from 1959 discovered in an archive.
- Cinephile love letter The film plays as a warm, knowledgeable homage to Breathless and the French New Wave, packed with references, cameos, and affectionate humor.
- Engaging performances Guillaume Marbeck’s Godard and the actors playing Seberg and Belmondo are praised for embodying their real‑life counterparts in both look and manner.
- Breezy, rewatchable vibe The hangout-movie rhythm, light touch, and playful dialogue make it an easy, enjoyable watch that some consider the most rewatchable film of the year.
- Boosts interest in classics Many come away appreciating Breathless more and feeling inspired to revisit or explore French New Wave staples.
Common complaints
- Pretentious early stretch The first half hour, with dense talk and stylized choices, is described as self-indulgent or even boring before the story properly clicks.
- Niche, insider appeal Enjoyment often depends on already liking Breathless and knowing key New Wave figures, leaving newcomers feeling excluded or underwhelmed.
- Emotionally light and safe Despite the subject’s revolutionary reputation, the storytelling feels cute and affectionate rather than risky or emotionally intense.
- Mixed feelings on Zoey Deutch A minority find Zoey Deutch’s performance or presence distracting enough to pull them out of the film.
- Style over depth for some The film’s focus on craft, nostalgia, and references can come off as glossy fandom that never fully transcends its own gimmick.
Recommended for
French New Wave enthusiasts Richard Linklater devotees Cinephile hangout-movie fans Making-of cinema stories Black-and-white period pieces Breathless completionists
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsNetflix paid $4 million for a black-and-white Godard movie. Some cinephiles still want him spinning.
Deadline called the Cannes deal a record domestic outlay for a French-language film, about $4 million after a bidding war. Wikipedia later put it second only to Emilia Perez. Owen Gleiberman at Variety asked, in print, whether Jean-Luc Godard was turning over in his grave. The joke writes itself. The man who hated museums of cinema now has a 106-minute museum piece, in Academy ratio, latestnetflix.com contends, on the same app as a Thai legal soap. 
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Richard Linklater's Nouvelle Vague reconstructs the 23-day shoot of Breathless. Guillaume Marbeck, a photographer and model in his first feature, keeps the sunglasses on as 29-year-old Godard. Zoey Deutch is Jean Seberg. Aubry Dullin is Belmondo. Shot in Paris from 4 March to April 2024 on 35mm, black and white, with digital grain and gate weave added later so it looks like a worn print. Budget about $9.9 million. Theatrical gross about $2.5 million, which is the point of selling America to Netflix. France got ARP on 8 October 2025. The US got a limited run on 31 October, then the streamer on 14 November. ,
The Palais ovation became its own argument. The Hollywood Reporter wrote 10-minute-plus. Variety timed 6.5. Deadline and Wikipedia went with 11. Linklater, when the lights came up, said "Cinema is magic." Pete Hammond at Deadline said the film would make you fall in love with movies all over again. Gleiberman called Marbeck "so perfect as Jean-Luc Godard he's uncanny." , ,
He clocked her jawline when she was 19
Deutch heard the Seberg pitch on Everybody Wants Some!! a decade early. Linklater told THR he looked at "the contour of her face and jaw" and said she had to play Seberg. She studied French for two years. Variety said she had to do Seberg in English with a Mid-Atlantic affect, Seberg in French, and Patricia in Breathless. She was the famous American in a cast of French unknowns, which is also how Seberg walked onto Godard's set. ,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UufRzKVFseg
French producers warmed up after Godard died in 2022. Linklater still had to talk them into black and white, French, and no stars. The CNC gave an advance-on-takings grant. At the 51st Cesars, Linklater became the second American to win Best Director. Marbeck won a Lumiere for male revelation. Rotten Tomatoes sat at 92 percent from 193 reviews. The official Netflix trailer dropped in September. FirstShowing flagged the old Godard line sitting in it. All you need is a girl and a gun. , ,
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.