From the very unusual and seductive introduction that utilises the full power of the camera and the soundtrack down to the powerful and hard hitting finale, Vivre Sa Vie is more an experience than a film. Its exploration of popular topics such as love and death and the way it applies them in a breathtakingly unique way can make even the most experienced cinephile change the way they see films. The plot is simple, a young Parisian woman has become bored with her ordinary, mundane way of life and is drawn into prostitution. What the director Jean-Luc Godard does in this highly underrated film is make the camera speak the complexities. This is backed up by the dialogues which are deep, poetic and philosophical, something you so rarely see in a film. They make you question the way you live your life and by the end of the film you will have taken something from it.

Leading actress, Anna Karina, carries the film high above her head with a performance that is full of vibrant life and playfulness. Her character is an extrovert who is looking for something more and who never backs down, making sure her opinions are heard. However, when she leads herself into a world of filth and overpowering men she realises that her path has turned full circle and she is back to boredom. This time though it"s a boring life filled with danger, sacrifice and perversion. Nonetheless, Godard only makes these controversial topics lightly visible which stands out vividly on the background of hope and joy that he created in the beginning. Throughout you see the joy that is pulsing through Karina"s character of Nana slowly being drained out until the story reaches its shocking conclusion.

In addition, the soundtrack sums the entire movie up. It"s a sombre melody which brings on a feeling of sadness and loss. If you listen out through the entire picture you can hear the tune coming up at some of the most unusual of times. This symbolises what the movie is all about - life is unpredictable and anything is around the corner. At the end of the day we just have to live our lives because we can"t let everything pass us by or sacrifice ourselves completely due to the want of others.

Finally, I depart from this review with a quote from the fabulous scene in a café between Nana and a knowledgeable old man. "The more one talks, the less the words mean" she tells him. In Nana"s confusing life this may be the case but with Vivre Sa Vie, every movement, jolting jump cut, musical note and word that the characters speak weaves together a picture of what cinema should be and how we should live our lives to the full but not be pulled into the strange seduction of darkness and dirt.