DIE GESCHICHTE DER NANA S. - VIVRE SA VIE

Schönecker Film Library and Film Archive, Cologne
present:

THE STORY OF NANA S. - VIVRE SA VIE
Directed by Jean-Luc Godard
France 1962, 91 min, German version, DVD screening
Starring: Anna Karina, Sady Rebbot, Monique Messine

Unfortunately, due to severe damage to the 16mm film caused by chemical processes, we are only able to show a DVD screening.

Jean-Luc Godard’s *Vivre sa vie* deliberately breaks with traditional narrative patterns and structures the story of the young Nana into twelve epic chapters. The protagonist, played by Godard’s then-wife Anna Karina, leaves her husband and child to lead an independent life in Paris. Her dream is to become an actress. However, she is thwarted by harsh reality and, driven by financial hardship, slips into prostitution. Her encounter with a philosophy student makes her realize the impossibility of truly living her own life and having control over her own decisions.

A key sequence is the scene in which Nana watches Carl Theodor Dreyer’s *The Passion of Joan of Arc* at the movie theater, and Godard uses a montage of faces to draw a connection between the fates of the two women. Nana experiences brief moments of freedom, but her attempts to escape that world ultimately fail due to the brutal reality of the pimping scene.

Admission: 7,-
Tickets available in advance at the store and at the Box Office.
Hours: Tue–Sat 2:00–9:00 p.m.