Slow Motion

1980 Director Jean-Luc Godard

This film whose French title is "Sauve Qui Peut (la Vie)" is pessimistic but visually stunning and marks Jean-Luc Godard's return to cinema after having spent the 70s working in video. It is an examination of sexual relationships, in which three protagonists interact in different combinations.

The film presents a few days in the lives of three people: Paul, a television producer; Denise, his co-worker and ex-girlfriend; and Isabelle, a prostitute whom Paul has used. Denise wants to break up with Paul and move to the country. Isabelle wants to work for herself instead of her pimp. Paul just wants to survive. Their stories intersect when Paul brings Denise to the country cottage he is trying to rent and Isabelle comes to see it without knowing that the landlord has been her client. The film is broken into segments entitled "The Imaginary," "Commerce," "Life," and "Music." Each of the first three sections focuses on one character and the last section brings all three characters together.

This complex film is often closer to an essay than a story; it uses slow motion and experimental techniques to explore questions of love, work, and the nature of cinema. Sauve Qui Peut (la Vie) was Godard's first film with his frequent collaborator Anne-Marie Miéville, who edited and co-wrote the film.