The French really know how to put you on one hell of a rollercoaster of emotions, huh? François Truffaut's Jules and Jim is an excellent relationship drama and one that I became mesmerized by in just its opening scene. I have never quite seen a story like this before and while that is only because this is my first viewing of this genre of international film, I was nevertheless blown away by the creative choices that were made and how evident it is that this style of storytelling has inspired countless filmmakers. With the help of some solid performances and technical choices that appear absolutely bonkers for 1962, I grew to enjoy this a lot more than I thought I would. This type of film may not necessarily be my thing but there is no denying that the level of craftsmanship and originality shown throughout this movie is perfectly representative of what the French New Wave had to offer.
Jules (Oskar Werner), an introverted Austrian, and Jim (Henri Serre), a much more extroverted Frenchman, become close friends before the time of WWI. As their friendship grows stronger, they meet an electric, young woman named Catherine (Jeanne Moreau) who the two both immediately fall in love with. She ends up marrying Jules and although the two friends are split apart due to the war, they end up meeting back up while Catherine and Jim start to exhibit their true feelings for each other. What stands out to me the most about Jules and Jim, other than its almost farcical portrayal of happiness in healthy relationships, is that director François Truffaut opts to flow this narrative in such peculiar ways that I was consistently taken aback from. Truffaut's constant layering of narrative choices makes for one of the most interesting, romantic films I have seen recently. The use of narration from an unknown source, dialogue within each scene, and long periods of unspoken action make this film so much more unique than I would have ever given it credit for. This cluster of storytelling choices might be too frantic for some (I even found myself struggling to grasp at one of the clear paths) but the madness that ensues from it only makes it that much more compelling for some, strange reason. All of the choices that Truffaut makes to tell this dramatic story seem like they would contradict each other but for one of the earliest additions into the genre of French New Wave cinema, they worked together brilliantly. I was never confused with the narrative nor was I bored, despite the borderline comedic marriages throughout this film. Obviously, this was a different era and the plot has no reason not to be experimental in a time like this but the drama almost reaches the point of laughable with how it is represented and the plot choices that are made to tell the generations-long story of Jules, Jim, and Catherine. This film is more of a chronicle of these characters' lives and multiple relationships and while enjoyment of the actual narrative is very much up to the viewer's taste, one thing that I feel we can all agree on is how wildly fascinating the visual storytelling ended up being.
Raoul Coutard's cinematography and Claudine Bouché's editing stood out to me the most throughout this film and I was blown away by some of the visual forms that they went with. Coutard shoots this film with a combination of still and handheld camera that gives the story so much fluid, lively movement that was very much needed. This careless style of shooting makes the film almost appear unplanned and that gave way to a lot of Truffaut's reliance on true-to-life storytelling. The quick zooms and unexpected pans made the film feel very distressed and along with Bouché's rapid editing, I ended up with much more adrenaline than I would have expected for a romantic drama. These odd choices almost make the audience feel like a helpless spectator on the lives of Jules, Jim, and Catherine, and we have Truffaut to thank for this longing. I constantly wanted to reach out and let the characters know of the infidelity and breaking of trust happening in all of their personal narratives but being forced to watch this plot unfold from behind a screen was such a visually compelling way of getting me invested in the characters. While Jules and Jim features some of the most innovative and flabbergasting creative choices, the performances from the cast also help to ground it down into reality. Moreau, Werner, and Serre are all spectacular in their roles and I adored how they set out to really make these characters their own. Werner and Serre nail the dynamic between an introvert and extrovert better than most modern friendships I have ever seen but it is really Moreau that steals this film for herself. Every scene she occupies makes way for such an interesting case study of commitment and along with Truffaut's direction, the French style of storytelling shows that it can express these emotions in such newfound ways. Truffaut's themes of love, betrayal, and tragedy might come crashing in one each other in the most unabashed fashion but I found that the performances from these main stars embodying these things were just simply excellent. A lackluster but carefree relationship drama like this hinges on the chemistry between its leads and Truffaut did a wondrous job of bringing out this authenticity in his story.
Jules and Jim is a fantastic drama that is carried by its technical choices and simply wonderful chemistry between the cast. The plot itself might be a bit too much of a whirlwind for my own tastes but there is no denying that French New Wave cinema has had such a profound effect on the genre of drama and continues to do so to this day. Despite my slight lack of infatuation for this international genre that many cinephiles seem to carry, I am nonetheless intrigued by the otherworldly narrative choices that Truffaut was confident enough to make and this movie proves to be a great start for one of my cinematic blindspots.
My Rating: ★★★½
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