The film Vivre sa vie, directed by Jean Godard, contains and prompts thought on a variety of philosophical and sociological concepts. The eleventh scene is perhaps the most directly philosophical scene. The main character, Nana [Anna Karina] and a philosopher in a café, Brice Parain [playing himself] meet by chance and discuss the relationship between language, thought, truth, and authentic expression[i]. Parain concludes that truth is arrived at through error, and furthermore, to express oneself well, one needs to detach from life[ii]. Godard was influenced by Bertholt Brecht, a proponent of ‘epic theatre’, which uses film techniques that emphasise awareness of the spectator by detaching them[iii],[iv]. The film style of Vivre sa vie reflects the ideas discussed in the café scene.
The philosophical dialogue between Nana and Parain begins when Nana states that she doesn’t know what to say[v]. She knows what she wants to say, but she cannot think of how to express it in words[vi]. This introduces the major thread of the conversation: how does one, and/or can one, authentically express themselves? And following that, how does one live an authentic life? Nana believes that “words should express just what one wants to say,” and that “one must try to be in good faith” but is wondering if this is even possible[vii].
The influence of Sartre in Godard’s work has been suggested, and given Nana’s reference to “good faith”, and other existential nuances of the film, it is reasonable to take an existential reading of the dialogue in the café scene[viii]. Sartre’s model of human freedom notes that to freely choose, one must be distant from, and therefore self-aware of their choice[ix]. Because of this, one is always questioning who and what they are, and can therefore never define oneself as a being “in-itself” (something concrete and unchangeable)[x]. If one chooses to define themselves as not X, but Y, they would still be in “bad faith” because they would still be defining themselves as a being “in-itself”[xi]. It is only through transcendence to “for-itself”, through recognising one’s freedom of choice and the possibilities for self-definition, that one can avoid being in “bad faith”[xii].
Nana says that she has heard “there is truth in everything, even in error,” which prompts the philosopher to cite German philosophy, and that “we must pass through error to arrive at truth”[xiii]. The link between the German philosophy briefly mentioned and Sartre’s existentialism is not easy to pin down, however we can interpret “error” and “truth” through Sartre’s freedom model discussed above. Furthermore, the philosopher states that one cannot speak well unless they can see life with detachment[xiv]. Nana is concerned not just with speaking well, but with expressing herself, and living, authentically (truthfully). With Sartre’s existential freedom, we can draw from this that one cannot live well, or express oneself authentically, unless we can distance ourselves from our lives enough to be aware of the choices we can make. Furthermore, to attempt to define ourselves would put us in error, or “bad-faith”, and yet we are constantly redefining ourselves – thus, “there is truth in everything, even in error”[xv]. We can arrive at an elusive truth or authenticity through detachment.
The philosophical discussion is presented through Socratic dialogue. Nana is trying to understand her life and her ability to express herself authentically, and so she asks questions which prompt answers from the philosopher. Unlike many other scenes in the film, the camera focuses simply on both Nana and the philosopher’s faces while they talk. Throughout the film Godard often shoots the backs of character’s heads, or, despite focusing on Nana herself, the characters she speaks to are often partially obscured or only briefly shown. The way the camera gives the philosopher space within the scene emphasises the importance of the conversation and what the philosopher is saying to Nana and her life.
Elements of Bertholt Brecht’s epic theatre feature in Vivre sa vie. A defining characteristic of Brechtian theatre is the emphasis on the spectator and their freedom of thought and judgment[xvi]. This is achieved through detachment of the viewer from the events being shown in the film[xvii]. Godard wanted to “stay outside” of the subject of the film, and used distancing techniques such as a discontinuous structure, silence and a fragmented soundtrack to achieve this[xviii]. In the café scene, Nana’s gaze momentarily lingers on the camera, breaking the fourth wall[xix]. The effect of this is that viewers are made aware that they are watching a film and can freely consider what they are watching. This mirrors the conversation between the philosopher and Nana, in which we discover that to see our lives clearly and to be authentic, we must be able to detach from them.
[i] Vivre sa vie. (1962). [film] Directed by J. Godard. France: Panthéon Distribution.
[ii] Vivre sa vie.
[iii] Emin, E. (2015). Brecht’s Epic Theatre. Academic Journal of Business, Administration, Law and Social Sciences, 1(2), pp.297-302; see p. 297
[iv] Cannon, S. (1996). ‘Not a mere question of form’: The hybrid realism of Godard’s Vivre sa vie. French Cultural Studies, 7(21), pp.283-294; see p. 284
[v] Vivre sa vie.
[vi] Vivre sa vie.
[vii] Vivre sa vie.
[viii] Fairfax, D. (2017). Models of the Public Intellectual: Cinema and Engagement in Sartre and Godard. [online] Senses of Cinema. Available at: http://sensesofcinema.com/2017/sartre-at-the-movies/cinema-and-engagement-in-sartre-and-godard/ [Accessed 1 Sep. 2018].
[ix] Varga, S. and Guignon, C. (2014). Authenticity. [online] Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Available at: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/authenticity/#SarDeBea [Accessed 31 Aug. 2018].
[x] Varga and Guignon, Authenticity.
[xi] Varga and Guignon, Authenticity.
[xii] Varga and Guignon, Authenticity.
[xiii] Vivre sa vie.
[xiv] Vivre sa vie.
[xv] Vivre sa vie.
[xvi] Emin, Brecht’s Epic Theatre, p. 297
[xvii] Emin, Brecht’s Epic Theatre, p. 299
[xviii] Cannon, ‘Not a mere question of form’, p. 285
[xix] Vivre sa vie.
Bibliography
Cannon, S. (1996). ‘Not a mere question of form’: The hybrid realism of Godard’s Vivre sa vie. French Cultural Studies, 7(21), pp.283-294; see p. 284
Emin, E. (2015). Brecht’s Epic Theatre. Academic Journal of Business, Administration, Law and Social Sciences, 1(2), pp.297-302; see p. 297
Fairfax, D. (2017). Models of the Public Intellectual: Cinema and Engagement in Sartre and Godard. [online] Senses of Cinema. Available at: http://sensesofcinema.com/2017/sartre-at-the-movies/cinema-and-engagement-in-sartre-and-godard/ [Accessed 1 Sep. 2018].
Varga, S. and Guignon, C. (2014). Authenticity. [online] Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Available at: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/authenticity/#SarDeBea [Accessed 31 Aug. 2018].
Vivre sa vie. (1962). [film] Directed by J. Godard. France: Panthéon Distribution.
blue ink notes 
In this respect you can go for a marvellous piece of writing -‘ There and Back ‘ by Sartre on Parain’s thought of language.Parain was called the Sherlock Holmes of language.And Sartre described his skill in his usual heavenly style.-Sravanilali.
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