Breathless / À bout de souffle / Viimeiseen Hengenvetoon (English subtitles)

Two French Classics: Past & Present

The films are presented by the Institut français de Finlande – Ranskan instituutti Suomessa. Instagram: @iffinlande

Dive into the world of French cinema! Discover Jean-Luc Godard’s bold masterpiece À bout de souffle, which transformed cinema as an art form forever, as well as France by Bruno Dumont, one of modern cinema’s leading figures — a sharp and timely depiction of media, identity, and a nation in constant change.

Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless is one of the films that spearheaded the French New Wave (Nouvelle Vague), a movement that changed cinema forever. The New Wave is considered one of the most influential periods in film history. It was led by young filmmakers steeped in cinema, who created radical works that broke conventions, experimented with form, and engaged directly with the political climate of their time.

Michel Poiccard, an irresponsible sociopath and small-time thief, steals a car and impulsively murders the motorcycle policeman who pursues him. Now wanted by the authorities, he renews his relationship with Patricia Franchini, a hip American girl studying journalism at the Sorbonne, whom he had met in Nice a few weeks earlier. Before leaving Paris, he plans to collect a debt from an underworld acquaintance and expects her to accompany him on his planned getaway to Italy. Even with his face in the local papers and media, Poiccard seems oblivious to the dragnet that is slowly closing around him as he recklessly pursues his love of American movies and libidinous interest in the beautiful American.