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Netflix movies often don't get a theatrical release date. But that's exactly what's happening for "Nouvelle Vague," the latest film from Richard Linklater.
If that name sounds familiar, there's a good reason. Linklater has quite possibly made one of your favorite movies — "Dazed and Confused," "Before Sunrise", "Boyhood" and "School of Rock," just to name a few.
Will "Nouvelle Vague" join that prestigious list? Netflix is counting on it. It bought the U.S. distribution rights for this movie about Jean-Luc Godard and the making of the French Nouvelle Vague (New Wave) film "Breathless," after "Nouvelle Vague" premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.
That premiere earned an 11-minute standing ovation. Granted, the "Let's All Go to the Lobby" animation would probably get a standing ovation at a film festival, but 11 minutes is still impressive.
Netflix is also putting the movie in theaters, which is another vote of confidence. The streaming service essentially only does this when it wants a movie to contend for awards (to win an Academy Award, a movie has to have played in theaters), meaning it thinks Linklater's film has the juice to bring home Oscar gold.
If you're in one of the lucky few markets to get a theatrical screening, "Nouvelle Vague" will hit the big screen on Oct. 31 before premiering on Netflix two weeks later on Nov. 14.
"Nouvelle Vague' is for the film nerds
Nouvelle Vague Trailer #1 (2025) - YouTube
No matter where I get to see it, "Nouvelle Vague" is already one of my most anticipated movies of the year, and it was high up my list even before critics gave it rave reviews at Cannes.
I will freely admit, though, that this movie is not necessarily for everyone. Linklater is a fairly accessible director, but this is a French-language film in black and white about making a French-language film in black and white. It's very much for cinephiles. The trailer certainly doesn't seem to be shying away from that expectation either.
Poorly executed, such an endeavour could be a conceited, or worse — boring — arthouse film about art. But critics seem to think Linklater nailed it, giving the movie an 86% "fresh" rating across 44 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.
"An elegant love letter to the influential era in French cinema," wrote Tomris Laffley for Elle. "In stunning black and white, and with the grainy sound quality of the era, Linklater gives new life to period picture, making it romantic, exquisitely detailed, and timeless."
"It shouldn’t work," wrote Justin Chang for The New Yorker, echoing some of my concerns about the film. "But really it does... A playful Who’s Who of late-fifties French film, a wittily engrossing and ultra-disciplined execution of a conceit that sounded self-indulgent on paper."
So, whether you watch it at your local cinema or at your TV at home, just make sure to add "Nouvelle Vague" to your watchlist.
Malcolm has been with Tom's Guide since 2022, and has been covering the latest in streaming shows and movies since 2023. He's not one to shy away from a hot take, including that "John Wick" is one of the four greatest films ever made.
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