Masculin Féminin (1966)

Directed by Jean-Luc Godard. Starring Jean-Pierre Léaud, Chantal Goya, Michel Debord, Marlène Jobert, Catherine-Isabelle Duport, Elsa Leroy.

Although more perceptive than the average teenybopper fiction film (or MTV “reality check”), this study of the personal opinions and romance rituals among “the children of Marx and Coca-Cola” is a time capsule of truisms and pop culture illiteracy and vapidity; if that was the point, couldn’t it have been less meandering and redundant? There are spots of humor and some stylish allure to what passes for vérité-vignettes—most of the dialogue is taken from interviews, with “suggestions” from the director to guide the questions and responses—but the sum supersedes the flimsy, erratic parts. Like nearly all of Godard’s work (especially his influential 60s peak), it has more than it’s share of admirers, but this exercise didn’t leave much of an impression on me. Aimed at young audiences, yet those under 18 were prohibited from seeing it upon release. Brigitte Bardot and Françoise Hardy make uncredited appearances.

58/100