Review of Breathless (2009) by Aaron A — 16 May 2012

"There's no need to lie. It's like poker. The truth is best. The others still think you're bluffing, so you win.".

Synopsis: After shooting a cop, young theif Michel meets and shacks up with Patricia, an American who sells the international Herald Tribune on the streets of Paris, hiding out in her hotel room: Michel tries to talk patricia into going with him to italy, but she doesn't know that would include a foray into criminal life.

My initial viewing of Breathless was somewhat tainted by the fact that I had watched Godard's next film A Woman is A Woman before I watched this picture. A Woman is A Woman is essentially this film turned up to eleven; more stylish, funnier, perhaps even suffers from a more acute strand of Attention Deficit Disorder. There is one thing that "Breathless" does have that "A Woman is a Woman" has in less quantities, immediacy.

Godard did provide a radical new vision of cinema at the time, it's evident even today when one watches Breathless. I like to imagine seeing this picture in the theater when initially released was something akin to seeing Reservoir Dogs for the first time. Instantly the audience must have known something was quite peculiar, and must have been taken aback by the boldness of the director's technique.

It's funny then to realize that perhaps what makes Breathless one of the director's most beloved films, is it's rather standard plot structure. There is a definite catapulting beginning, an easily recognizable bridge, and a payoff not lacking in satisfaction. Its a narrative focused on love and the author's thoughts on the subject. The director's technique is what made this film so influential, but it's the script that ensures Breathless' immortality.