Vivre Sa Vie

Vivre Sa Vie (My Life to Live) – the life of a Parisian prostitute told in twelve distinct episodes in Jean-Luc Godard’s distinctive style. The girl is played by his wife, Ana Karina, who reminds one a bit of Louise Brooks, with her helmet of hair, porcelain skin and fine features. She deserts her child and husband for a chance at making a living in the movies. Of course, this never works out and she slips into prostitution, which seems a relatively easy option. The rules of the profession are laid our matter of factly in a Q&A session with her pimp set to a tabloid of her daily encounters. It’s all totally unsentimental and somewhat cold. The film ends unexpectedly and brutally. I didn’t find a great deal of satisfaction here. I expect there are hidden truths lost in the translation of the dialogue and Godard’s camera work is very clever and lends an unusual perspective.