Richard Linklater’s dedication to the French New Wave has a conflict at its centre. On one hand, Nouvelle Vague presents a lot of interesting ideas about what art and cinema should be; on the other, it gets caught up in a tedious loop as it depicts Jean-Luc Godard filming Breathless (1960). However, the film’s style, compelling visuals, and magnetic lead performances end up complementing the film’s relaxed pace. Nouvelle Vague might not be revered for decades to come, à la Breathless, but it’s another solid entry in Linklater’s vast filmography.

For all his revered films and ambitious cinematic gambles, Linklater has never come off as an ideologue, someone with a single-minded view on how films should be made. He’s a versatile filmmaker, able to mould his style into whichever story

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