Meh.

I never got into this movie. There were a whole spate of movies produced in the decades before I was born where the women have scenes where they do “things” but are otherwise totally opaque. We’re supposed to believe certain things about them [Catherine is a “force of nature”], but we never really get to know them the way we do the other characters. I like Truffaut, but maybe I should have just read the book instead…

While the film is called Jules et Jim, it’s very much built around Jeanne Moreau’s character, Catherine, who is at the apex of a love triangle. Like other French New Wave films, there is running, location shooting and a joy in cinema that runs through the film. While it is a period piece, Truffaut cleverly establishes the time through archival footage combined with voice-over. It keeps the film feeling like a novel while we focus on the interesting things, which are the three main characters. It’s fun and has one of the most fascinating female leads in any film. I saw echoes in Arnaud Desplechin’s Kings and Queen as well as in many other films. Jules et Jim is a fascinating exploration of love and friendship.