Capsule Summary (minimal spoilers):

The ArtHouse Film Festival recently aired Godard Mon Amour, which tells the story of the relationship between filmmaker Jean Luc Godard and Anne Wiazemsky.  In 1966, Anne was 18 when she made her movie debut in one of his films. They married in 1967, and this story covers their time together, when Godard was in a transitional phase in his movie career.

It’s in French, with subtitles, and very slightly reminiscent of Woody Allen’s Stardust Memories, as it’s a slice of life for the couple when they’re not making movies. It is absurdist, funny, and also sad, often at the same time.

If that’s the sort of movie you appreciate, this one is for you. I enjoyed it, and recommend it for those that like such things.

You may watch the trailer on YouTube.

Main Review:

I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not too familiar with Godard’s work, but that didn’t prevent me from liking this movie. There were some artistic choices that made me like it even more than I expected.

The film starts while they are filming  La Chinoise, a film on Communism that Godard believes will be groundbreaking. However, the Chinese embassy rejects the film as not being representative of their ideals. This puts Godard into a funk, but he decides to become more involved in the Communist movement, which is growing in popularity in France. They reject him too, claiming he’s too ingrained in populist culture. Throughout this, he and Anne try to document what’s going on, while remaining under the radar of the police. The people who do recognize him compliment his earlier work, which annoys him to no end.

There are several things that make the film entertaining. Some encounters with fans go awry, and other scenes that are just patently absurd, but fun to watch. There were a few stylistic choices made here, and most of them work well. The tension grows between Anne and Jean Luc, but there isn’t a satisfying conclusion. Regardless, I liked the movie.

The movie itself is based on a book written by Wiazemsky, and shopped around until she agreed to give the rights to one director, who was, apparently, the only one who asked her how funny she made it.

The film was originally called Le Redoutable, which refers to a French nuclear powered submarine. Why?  Well, see the movie and find out.