"Breathless" Review

Film by: Jean-Luc Godard

Thought to be one of the main benefactors in the French New Wave Movement, "Breathless" follows the tribulations of a city-thug named Michel and his encounters with the law. Patricia, his devout girlfriend and aspiring journalist, contributes through a faltering support. After Michele kills a policeman while driving his car, he turns to Patricia for support. In the end, she betrays him in order to give a better life to her child, and he is shot before being sent off to prison. 

Jean Luc-Godard accomplishes this cinematic classic through directing without a distinct narrative or direction. The camerawork is handheld and it yields an overall naturalistic effect. While on the other side of the camera, Jean would tell the actors what to say based off his emotional standing at the point of the scene, then dub over the original work with a voice-over. Basically, every aspect of "Breathless" was revolutionary at that time and became the foundation for what film is today.