Two or Three Things I Know About Her

Two or Three Things I Know About Her is another Godard film focused on Godard issues. It is relentless in its assault on consumerism and war (specifically Vietnam), and tackles issues concerning sexual politics and gender roles. It is typical Godard. A fractured, almost undetectable plot concerning a woman’s decent into prostitution, dense, philosophical dialogue, and beautiful cinematography. It also, and once again interestingly, delves into ideas about the nature of language, much like the scene of which I spoke in Vivre sa Vie.

I must admit that, having now viewed a number of Godard films, though continuously inventive and experimental in a cinematographic sense, I have come to the feeling that Godard indeed is not very dynamic in any other sense. It seems as though he has found a million ways to say a few things. While it may be said that any filmmaker does the same thing, that an artist acts and creates by personal, inescapable perceptions and ideas, manifesting these things consistently in his or her work, and that it is in fact the mark of a good artist if he can continuously find news ways in doing this, I have nonetheless grown away from my initial attraction to Godard because of these constant reiterations. However, I have the pervading feeling that this dismissal is some sort of sin against cinema, and that Godard demands more specific and careful attention, which is impossible to do with the one viewing I have of each of the films we have seen. I feel and hope that, with further viewings, as people have stated in class, these films will begin to reveal themselves to me.