Review of Breathless (2009) by Jack W — 15 Feb 2011

So I'm biased towards the French New Wave, of course, but this film is just so damn good. The story is extremely simple yet ever so powerful and moving while at the same time it deals with so much.

Basically the story is a guy on the run type story, but due to the constraints the French faced with filmmaking at the time they can explore so much when the film settles in a certain spot. When the protagonist hides out in his girlfriends apartment the narrative seemingly becomes stagnant yet the dialogue is so crisp and says so much that I felt it one of the most important parts of the film.

The self reflexivity within the film is outstanding and it speaks to how indebted to film the FNW directors were. This is similar to Truffaut's Day For Night, where film becomes even more important than life.

Personally I also love the style and technique used throughout the film. Just amazing, amazing work.