Netflix plans a sturdy Oscar push for its Cannes pick-up “Nouvelle Imprecise” (in theaters October 31, streaming November 14), Richard Linklater‘s love letter to Jean-Luc Godard’s first movie, “Breathless.” The 1960 film, which cinematographer Raoul Coutard shot in single, silent takes on the streets of Paris, was a trailblazer in its use of pure gentle and disjunctive leap cuts.
Linklater’s black-and-white 35mm film is neither prequel, sequel, nor remake of Godard’s movie. It’s not a documentary. The filmmaker merely recreates with a French solid and crew what it was wish to make the movie. “There’s not a shot on this film that wouldn’t slot in ’59 to ’62 or ’63,” he advised IndieWire.
Netflix plans to push the movie for Finest Image, Director (Linklater has been nominated as soon as, for “Boyhood”), Finest Actor (Guillaume Marbeck as Godard), Supporting Actor (Aubry Dullin as Belmondo), Supporting Actress (Zoey Deutch as Jean Seberg), and Screenplay (Holly Gent, Laetitia Masson, and Vincent Palmo Jr.’s script could possibly be tailored or unique). There’s loads of precedent for foreign-language films gaining sufficient help for nominations in these classes, from Neon‘s “Parasite,” “Anatomy of a Fall,” and “The Worst Particular person within the World” to Netflix’s personal “Emilia Pérez,” which scored 13 nominations.
However the perfect likelihood for “Nouvelle Imprecise” to win a class is Finest Worldwide Function and Netflix fervently hopes that “Nouvelle Imprecise” will likely be on France’s mid-September shortlist. North American distributors represented on that listing make displays to the 11-person Oscar choice committee as to why its movie is the strongest contender. Then, they wait.
France generally picks properly (Ladj Ly’s 2020 “Les Misérables” marks its final nomination); usually, it doesn’t (the committee did not nominate Finest Unique Screenplay Oscar-winner “Anatomy of a Fall”). The nation has not loved a Finest Worldwide Function win since “Indochine” in 1993.
As a result of “Nouvelle Imprecise” is produced by main French distributors Laurent Pétin and Michèle Pétin with a French solid and crew, the truth that Texan Linklater directed the movie starring American Zoey Deutch isn’t a dealbreaker. France has beforehand submitted non-French filmmakers, together with Dutch filmmaker Paul Verhoeven’s French movie “Elle,” starring Isabelle Huppert, and Italian Filippo Neneghetti’s “Two of Us.” Japan submitted German auteur Wim Wenders’ “Good Days,” which was nominated in 2024.
However “Nouvelle Imprecise” has one severe competitor. Neon acquired French resident Jafar Panahi’s Iranian drama “It Was Simply an Accident” two days earlier than it gained the 2025 Palme d’Or; its French producers are Philippe Martin and David Thion, whose “Anatomy of a Fall” gained the 2024 Palme d’Or (and 5 Oscar nominations).
Neon is a veteran of the Oscar submission fray, arguing unsuccessfully for “Portrait of a Girl on Fireplace” (no shortlist) and efficiently for “Titane” (no nomination) and touchdown a range for Palme d’Or winner “Parasite,” which gained the Worldwide Function class together with Finest Image and Director.
“Nouvelle Imprecise” is an pleasing romp that celebrates an icon of French cinema however didn’t win any Cannes prizes. “It Was Simply an Accident” is a severe critique of the continued corruption in authoritarian Iran, whose authorities has imprisoned the filmmaker, who put himself at risk to shoot the movie in secret. Whereas he’s now legally free, will the nation proceed to let Panahi come and go? “It Was Simply an Accident” has a strong narrative behind it, and Panahi will likely be accepting awards and tributes at festivals together with TIFF and Busan. Which method will France go?
Campaigning on behalf of Neon isn’t solely indefatigable CEO Tom Quinn but in addition new distribution chief and veteran Oscar whisperer Ryan Werner. And Netflix government Lisa Taback and her awards workforce want to seize a victory on this class after final 12 months’s “Emilia Pérez” imbroglio.
As for France, its movie group is simply rooting for an Oscar win after 32 years with out.
