The French New Wave is one of the greatest turning points in the history of cinema. With Nouvelle Vague (2025), Richard Linklater transports us to the exact moment when one of the most important works of this movement was born. He invites us to reimagine Belmondo, Seberg, and Godard during the days they were shooting À bout de souffle (1960).

Linklater frames his narrative by delving deeply into the cinematic fabric, crafting a film that reflects on cinema itself and its creative processes, doing so with a tone of profound reverence.

Godard (Guillaume Marbeck) feels frustrated and, when comparing himself to his peers, Truffaut, Chabrol, Rohmer, he sees himself as a failed director. The muse is there; all that’s missing is a producer willing to take a risk and allow him to make his first feature film. The screenplay of Nouvelle Vague unfolds around this crucial moment in Jean-Luc Godard’s life, inviting us to imagine the creation of one of the most important classics in film history.

Nouvelle Vague is a love letter to cinema and a tribute to the films of the French New Wave. From the use of black and white, to the choice of a classic aspect ratio known as the “Academy ratio” (a more square format than modern widescreen), to the casting of lesser-known actors such as Aubry Dullin as Jean-Paul Belmondo and Zoey Deutch as Jean Seberg, everything revives the aesthetic of the films that emerged from that cinematic movement one that Linklater now celebrates.

There are no empty gestures here; everything serves its purpose, and the film finds a life of its own.

Visually, Nouvelle Vague is pure cinematic magic. The production design is exquisite, and together with the cinematography and editing, it convinces us that we are watching a film shot in 1960s Paris. Linklater views cinema with nostalgia, but without succumbing to sentimentality. His respect is sincere, and he finds a way to create a film that transcends homage.

We are witnessing a director who dares, who is unafraid, and who challenges himself. The result is a film that reminds us why we love cinema.