Nouvelle Vague is a comedy-drama that Richard Linklater has helmed as a love letter to French cinema and is set to be released on Netflix on November 14, 2025. It premiered at the 78th annual Cannes Film Festival in May 2025. Following its theatrical release in France on October 8, 2025, it will also be released in the U.S. in select theatres on October 31, 2025. Two weeks later, it will be available for global streaming on Netflix.
Nouvelle Vague takes viewers back to the roots of modern cinema in black-and-white, as it explores the birth of the 1960s French New Wave film movement. Holly Gent, Vincent Palmo Jr., Michèle Halberstadt, and Laetitia Masson penned the script from which the Oscar-nominated director has crafted a nuanced and emotionally layered film.
What Is Nouvelle Vague About?
Nouvelle Vague centers on the filming of Jean-Luc Godard’s 1960 feature Breathless. It was Godard’s first full-length film and also marked Jean-Paul Belmondo’s breakthrough as an actor. It starred Belmondo as a wandering criminal named Michel Poiccard, while Jean Seberg appeared as his American girlfriend, Patricia Franchini. Godard also appeared in the movie as an informant.
Breathless is regarded as one of the best movies ever made and an influential example of the French film art movement, the French New Wave. The upcoming Netflix film takes its title from the French term for “New Wave.” Netflix dropped a teaser recently in which Zoey Deutch can be seen in the role of Seberg, while Guillaume Marbeck and Aubry Dullin portray Godard and Belmondo, respectively.
Beyond revisiting the creation of Breathless, the project also reflects on how the French New Wave itself transformed global cinema. The movement rejected convention in favor of raw storytelling, youthful spontaneity, and political engagement, inspiring filmmakers from Martin Scorsese to Quentin Tarantino.
By dramatizing this pivotal moment in film history, Nouvelle Vague aims not only to celebrate Godard’s groundbreaking work but also to introduce a new generation of viewers to the radical spirit of the 1960s. The focus on the behind-the-scenes dynamics promises to explore the artistic struggles, tensions, and triumphs that shaped a film now considered a masterpiece.
Here are some key details of the movie:
| Detail | Information |
| Title | Nouvelle Vague |
| Director | Richard Linklater |
| Writers | Holly Gent Vincent Palmo |
| Cast | Guillaume Marbeck as Jean-Luc Godard Zoey Deutch as Jean Seberg Aubry Dullin as Jean-Paul Belmondo Bruno Dreyfürst as Georges de Beauregard Benjamin Clery as Pierre Rissient Matthieu Penchinat as Raoul Coutard Pauline Belle as Suzon Faye Blaise Pettebone as Marc Pierret Benoît Bouthors as Claude Beausoleil Paolo Luka Noé as François Moreuil |
| Producers | Michèle Pétin Laurent Pétin |
| Release date | France Theatrical Release: October 8, 2025 U.S. Theatrical Release: October 31, 2025 Netflix Global Release: November 14, 2025 |
| IMDb | 7.3/10 |
| Rotten Tomatoes | Tomatometer: 80% |
It is expected to combine period detail with contemporary resonance, making it both a love letter to French cinema and a reminder of the power of movies to change the cultural conversation. Besides Deutch, Marbeck, and Dullin, the film also stars Bruno Dreyfürst, Benjamin Cléry, Matthieu Penchinat, Pauline Belle, Adrien Rouyard, Antoine Besson, and Jodie Ruth-Forest.
Zoey Deutch on Portraying Jean Seberg in Nouvelle Vague
Jean Seberg only appeared in 34 films across the U.S. and Europe. She did not have a long career due to her unfortunate demise at the mere age of 40, but she left a huge impact on the French New Wave, thanks to her role in Breathless.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Zoey Deutch opened up about portraying Seberg in the upcoming movie. She said:
“She was very mysterious, which I feel is the opposite of me—I’m the least mysterious person, and I worried about how to tap into that.”
Linklater’s decision to film the entire movie in Paris and work with a French crew gave Deutch a connection to Seberg. The 30-year-old actress explained:
“Seberg was learning French while acting in Breathless and said she felt very insecure. That really helped me, because I was also insecure about my French.”
Deutch, whose Juror #2 might get an Oscar nomination, has gained recognition in Hollywood for her lead roles in movies like Everybody Wants Some!! and Set It Up. Linklater directed the first of these, so Nouvelle Vague marks his second collaboration with Deutch.
Are you excited to see Deutch bring the enigmatic Seberg to life in Nouvelle Vague?
Nouvelle Vague will be in theaters in France from October 8, in the U.S. from October 31, and available for global streaming on Netflix from November 14.
