As film plods towards its somewhat predicable future, it appears to be moving further and further away from its rich history, which has seen a number of movements.

And with the last being Dogme, as founded by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg, that ran from 1995 to 2005, film doesn’t seem terribly keen in being that inventive and creative to this degree anymore.

It’s taken one of our current auteurs in Richard Linklater, to play a very fond homage to the birth of French New Wave, with a unique take on the making-of-a-film genre, as he focuses on the making of Jean-Lu Godard’s iconic 1960’s Breathless.

Having spent some time writing for the influential film magazine Cahiers du Cinema, Jean-Luc Godard (Guillaume Marbeck) decides that he doesn’t just want to review films, but make them.

And thanks to his influence, and knowing all the top directors and producers, he’s given the opportunity to do just that, albeit on a measly budget and only 20 days to shoot it in. Godard embraces this challenge, as he considers them the foundations for his personal style of shooting, which attracts the up and coming American actress Jean Seberg (Zoey Deuth), to play the female lead along with her co-star Jean-Paul Belmondo (Aubry Dullin).

But from the day one of shooting, all involved with the production are confronted by the fact this is no normal shoot, as Godard pushes forward with his unconventional methods.

Linklater’s stylish film isn’t just a making of a movie film, following Godard with his full length directorial debut, but the birth of a cinematic movement with French New Wave.

Shot in often grainy black and white, with a square screen 4:3 ratio, mirroring that of Breathless itself, it’s a compelling film within a film within a film, that’s a fascinating experience, and not just for cinephiles.

It was a remarkable film of its time – and still is, that was shot entirely without sound, with it all the dialogue added after the film was shot. Godard, played magnificently by Marbeck, was a maverick behind the camera, who wasn’t interested in rehearsals, make-up, or more than one take if possible, wanting to capture the essence of that moment, without any thrills. He wouldn’t even write the pages for the day’s shoot until the morning, over a coffee and cigarette, and spend as little time as possible in the shooting itself.

Marbeck plays him with the epitome of cool, wearing sunglasses in every scene – even in the cinema, as if part of a disguise that allows him to behave the way he does, giving him a creative license to do so.

Linklater has captured the natural joie de vivre of the making of the film, whilst maintaining the sense of the period of the time, on the streets of Paris in 1959. And although it looks natural, he used some CGI to help create this ambience, but with a pleasing degree of subtlety, where it’s never obvious or distracting with its presence, and helps deliver a truly atmospheric milieu.

It’s a remarkable letter d’amour to both Godard and French New Wave, that not only highlights the importance of this film in cinema history, but also how significant New Wave was, as well as serve as a reminder as to the impact a movement can have worldwide on filmmakers and cinema.

And perhaps it will be just the thing to inspire future filmmakers, to see beyond the generic and do what Godard did, and create an extraordinary piece of film, to make its own mark in cinematic history.