2 or 3 Things I Know About Her (1967) Review

Title: 2 or 3 Things I Know about Her
Year: 1967
Director: Jean Luc Godard
Country: US
Language: English

A pretty common thought about French New Wave filmmaker Jean Luc Godard is that his early work is full of masterpieces, but eventually he becomes too artsy and obscure. Seeing a Godard film becomes less about enjoyment, cinema as escape, and more about analysis and political context. 2 or 3 Things About Her (1967) is the beginning of the latter change in his career. 

A day in the life of a Parisian housewife/prostitute (Juliet Berto), interspersed with musings on the Vietnam War and other contemporary issues.

I loved 2 or 3 Things when I first viewed it in 2010, but in my second viewing, 14 years later, I found it quite difficult to watch. It has no "plot", very little character development, and far too much fourth-wall talking to the camera about politics. Godard loved experimenting so much, that at times he forgot to entertain. 

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There is a lot of substance here however; Godard has many things to say about consumerism and how it devalues the human experience. Logos speak louder than people; material goods replace compassion. In the push to modernize, we often have to step over the most vulnerable. These are truths that are relevant today. 

How do you review a film that is essentially a fictional video essay? At times the visuals are stunning, but it can also feel like watching paint dry. Maybe it was great in the 60's, in the context of its time, but it was a struggle for me.