Any news about a new Richard Linklater film, especially one that's being well-appreciated, is a cause for celebration for fans of the independent filmmaker known for much-acclaimed films such as the 'Before' trilogy, Dazed and Confused, and A Scanner Darkly.
Following the success of the Glen Powell-Adria Arjona-starrer Hit Man, Linklater's version of a neo-noir crime comedy, the Austin-based filmmaker has taken on the origins of the French New Wave movement, with his latest, Nouvelle Vague (New Wave), which chronicles the making of Jean-Luc Godard's pathbreaking, seminal 1960 film Breathless.
The film, whose trailer is out online, has been met with a 6.5-minute standing ovation at Cannes, where it premiered to largely enthusiastic reviews from international critics.
Linklater opted to make the entire film in French — a first for the director — with French actors cast in the roles of Godard, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Serge, Francois Truffaut, Jean-Pierre Melville, Eric Rohmer, and several eminent film personalities of the time that shaped the work of many filmmakers from subsequent generations, across the globe.
Quentin Tarantino, who has often cited the French New Wave as one of the primary influences on his work, was present at the event and got reportedly overwhelmed with emotion after seeing the work of Linklater, who started getting noticed in the American independent film circuit two years before Tarantino made his entry with Reservoir Dogs in 1992.
Linklater made his directorial debut with Slacker, with himself as one of the actors, playing a character named 'Should Have Stayed at the Bus Station'.
Addressing the crowd, Linklater said: “It means so much for us to be here tonight. Over a year ago, we were filming right here. And we all said: ‘Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could end up here showing our movie? It would be crazy to be here.’ And here we are! Cinema is magic. It meant so much to us to try and recreate the time and place. It means so much in film history, and it meant so much to each cast member, and every crew member. Everybody worked so hard to try and get it right and recreate this moment. And thank you for this moment.”
In Nouvelle Vague, Guillaume Marbeck plays Godard, with Zoey Deutch as Jean Seberg and Aubry Dullin as Jean-Paul Belmondo as the maverick French filmmaker's two leading actors.
Aside from Nouvelle Vague, Linklater will be bringing out Blue Moon, starring Ethan Hawke, marking his ninth collaboration with his Before trilogy leading man. It also stars Margaret Qualley, Andrew Scott, and Bobby Cannavale. Written by Robert Kaplow, Blue Moon is an account of the final days of songwriter Lorenz Hart, the other half of the songwriting duo Rodgers (Richard) and Hart.
