Nouvelle Vague Makes a Case for the Ambition of Youth

Photo: Jean-Louis Fernandez

Nouvelle Vague is “the story of Godard making Breathless, told in the style and spirit in which Godard made Breathless.” Or at least that’s the official description of the film provided by Cannes, where it just had its premiere. It’s not a claim that Richard Linklater’s latest, likable as it is, actually puts much effort into living up to. Aside from being shot in inviting black-and-white, Nouvelle Vague doesn’t attempt to mimic the choices — like the jump cuts...