Remember when Jean-Luc Godard made films that were avant-garde but still, somehow, comprehensible? That was a long time ago, the 1960s to be precise. Yet, like The Big Lebowski’s Dude, Godard abides.
Check out the trailer, above, for his latest project, Socialisme, that just premiered at Cannes. Beautiful, non? Godard and the digital technology that has replaced film seem made for each other. And you can tell what this “film” (for lack of a better term) is going to be about — money, class, East vs. West, Palestine vs. Israel, people, children, animals, words, etc. What might be a little more difficult to determine is what JLG is trying to say about these things. In short, don’t expect Socialisme, the film, to be any clearer a statement, political or otherwise, than Socialisme, the trailer. Godard is more of a political and aesthetic provocateur than he is a cogent essayist. He arranges his dots in striking patterns, but it’s up to you to connect them.
Regardless, I can’t wait to see this docu-essay in all of its high-definition glory. And now, more than ever, it gives me comfort to know that Godard is still alive and doing what he loves most — making pictures.
