Two or Three Things I Know About Her (Criterion Collection) (1967) On DVD

This dense, layered, and highly political film is an example of French auteur Jean-Luc Godard's work at its most challenging and exhilarating, adding another powerful social commentary to his startlingly original 1960s catalogue. The "her" of the title refers to two objects: Juliette, a woman who resides in one of Paris's drab, ugly suburbs, and the capital city itself. Using a fragmented narrative style that mirrors Juliette's clipped, confused existence, Godard looks at a day in the life of Juliette and the cast of Parisian women that revolves around her. A constant juxtaposition of images compares Juliette's alienating existence as a housewife and a prostitute with the equally alienating and constantly changing face of Paris--seen in documentary-style footage, shot in glorious CinemaScope by Raoul Coutard. Godard also sets his sights on the concept of language itself, questioning the reality of words, their history, and their ability to convey the truth of actual day-to-day occurrences. Godard himself provides a whispered, but very trenchant, narration throughout the film, which further implicates the modern world for moving too quickly and soullessly, condemning the escalating violence in Vietnam, the growing infatuation with television, and the world's animalistic dependence on sex and sexuality. Simply put, this is cinema at its most thought provoking.