My Life to Live

Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Year Released: 1962
Rating: 2.5

Anna Karina needs money for her acting career - her day job in a record store just isn't enough - so she turns to prostitution. The film's spontaneity is a major asset - Godard likes allowing for some out-of-nowhere digressions, like dance numbers, pantomime, poetry recitals, etc. - but it's all plot structure (the film is told in twelve evenly sliced pieces) and composition, and the tragic ending feels forced. Karina, petite and demure, could really use a hug.