Nouvelle Vague (2025) Parents Guide

Movie Review – Nouvelle Vague (2025)

Richard Linklater’s newest offering, an Oscar-nominated indie darling turned veteran auteur, is a buoyant and painstakingly detailed reimagining of how Jean-Luc Godard birthed his iconic 1960 debut, Breathless the film that ignited the French New Wave and forever changed the language of cinema.

Premiering alongside Blue Moon at TIFF, Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague revels in that radical era when cinema reinvented itself and produced legends overnight. His film zeroes in on the chaotic, inspired creation of À Bout De Souffle, the movie that catapulted Godard to notoriety, gave Jean-Paul Belmondo his breakout, and immortalized Jean Seberg in one of her most defining roles.

From its opening moments, Nouvelle Vague grips you with an affectionate yet sly portrait of Godard’s oddball genius. Guillaume Marbeck plays the director with a comic sparkle, oscillating between endearing eccentricity and maddening stubbornness. Even when hidden behind his ever-present sunglasses, Marbeck radiates Godard’s cinephilia, sardonic wit, and iconoclastic streak. His chemistry with the ensemble Aubry Dullin’s breezy Belmondo, Zoey Deutch’s sharp, luminous Seberg, and a cavalcade of fellow New Wave misfits like Truffaut, Chabrol, and Schiffman anchors the film in both charm and authenticity.

Dullin nails Belmondo’s rakish charisma, bringing easy humor and effortless leading-man swagger. Deutch, meanwhile, is magnetic as Seberg witty, exasperated, and brimming with presence. She captures both the actress’s charisma and her clashes with Godard, making those arguments feel layered rather than one-sided. Her playful rapport with Dullin is one of the film’s highlights, as the pair blur the lines between inhabiting Belmondo and Seberg while also channeling the characters they played in Breathless. Their dynamic with Marbeck’s Godard provides a lively push-and-pull that keeps the film’s pulse beating.

While the cast list is broad featuring Godard’s crew, his cinematographer Raoul Cotard, producer Georges de Beauregard, and walk-ons from other New Wave figures—the film never loses its focus. The beating heart remains the trio of Godard, Belmondo, and Seberg, with their creative and personal tensions driving the story forward.

Linklater deepens the immersion by shooting in black and white, with an aspect ratio evocative of the era. The visual style doesn’t just mimic Godard it borrows his tricks, pulling the audience behind the camera to experience how revolutionary and difficult the process truly was. At its core, the film champions the timeless battle between artistic conviction and industry conformity, reminding us why the New Wave mattered: it was born out of a refusal to compromise.

In the end, Nouvelle Vague is as tender as it is delightful a heartfelt ode to Godard, his collaborators, and the seismic shift they caused in cinema. Marbeck, Dullin, and Deutch shine at the center of a strong ensemble, their energy elevating what could have easily tipped into pretension. But Linklater’s sincerity never wavers; instead, it transforms the film into a genuine love letter to both the messy, exhilarating process of creation and the enduring spirit of cinematic rebellion.

Nouvelle Vague (2025) Parents Guide

Violence: There’s very little physical violence in Nouvelle Vague. The film is more about ideas, personalities, and the messy creativity behind Breathless than about action or fights. One scene involves the idea of a stunt involving a pedestrian being hit by a car, but Godard’s character ultimately opts to suggest the event rather than show it graphically. There are no scenes of gore or intense brutality. So, from a harshness or “scary violence” standpoint, it’s pretty mild. An older teen might find some of the tension from creative clashes a bit intense, but nothing that should be shocking.

Language: Moderate profanity. Characters are filmmakers, producers, actors all under pressure in a fast-moving environment, so there are moments of exasperation, sarcastic insults, and some strong language. It doesn’t feel gratuitous; it serves the characters and the dramatic tensions. If your teen is sensitive to coarse or salty language, this is something to be aware of.

Sexual Content: There is mild sexual content, though nothing explicit. Given the historical and cultural context of Paris in 1959, there are suggestions of romance, flirtation, the usual intimacies you’d expect between actors and between creative collaborators. There are no graphic sex scenes, and nothing that lingers inappropriately. If watching with younger viewers, it’s the kind of content you might want to be ready to talk about (gender dynamics, expectations, etc.), because part of Nouvelle Vague is how these relationships (professional and personal) intersect.

Substance Use / Drugs: Smoking is frequent: many characters—including Godard—smoke constantly, indoors, outdoors, casually. It’s a stylistic nod to the period, the culture, and the persona of someone like Godard. Alcohol is present, though not in excessive or glamorized “party all night” ways; more so as part of the social milieu of the time (after work drinks, etc.). There’s no major drug-use storyline (beyond tobacco / cigarettes).

My Recommendation?

If you ask me, this film is absolutely worthwhile for older teens think 15 and up—especially if they have curiosity about film, art, or history. It’s radiant in how it captures the chaos and the romance of filmmaking itself. You might need to pause here or there to explain some political or cultural references if they don’t know French post-war history or film theory, but those moments can spark great conversations.

For younger viewers (say under 14), it’s probably too nuanced: the pacing is gentle, the conflict is mostly creative and interpersonal, and some dialogue might fly over their heads. Also, the constant smoking and subtler adult themes might be things you want to discuss or frame carefully.