Directed by Jean-Luc Godard, 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her (2 ou 3 choses que je sais d’elle) is a seminal work of the French New Wave. Part fiction, part sociological essay, and part visual poem, the film is a radical deconstruction of consumerism, urban development, and the human condition in 1960s Paris.
The Premise
The “Her” of the title refers to two subjects simultaneously: Juliette Janson (Marina Vlady), a married mother living in a high-rise housing project, and the city of Paris itself.
The film follows twenty-four hours in Juliette’s life. To keep up with the rising costs of a modern, consumer-driven lifestyle—and to afford the luxury goods advertised in every shop window—Juliette spends her afternoons working as a casual prostitute. As she moves through the city, Godard uses her journey to observe the massive construction projects and the “Americanization” of the Parisian landscape.
The Conflict
There is no traditional plot or dramatic climax. Instead, the conflict is internal and ideological. Juliette lives in a world of “objects,” where the line between people and products has become blurred.
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The Individual: Juliette struggles to find meaning and identity in a society that defines her by what she consumes.
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The City: Paris is depicted as a giant construction site, being rebuilt into a cold, efficient machine that alienates its inhabitants.
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The Narrator: Godard himself provides a constant, whispered voiceover, ruminating on language, the Vietnam War, and the difficulty of truly “knowing” anything in a world of superficial images.
Key Cast and Crew
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Director: Jean-Luc Godard
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Juliette Janson: Marina Vlady
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Robert Janson: Roger Montsoret
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Marianne: Anny Duperey
Notable Elements
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The Coffee Cup Sequence: The film features one of the most famous shots in cinema history—an extreme, microscopic close-up of bubbles in a cup of stirred coffee, which Godard uses as a metaphor for the cosmos and the mysteries of existence.
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Breaking the Fourth Wall: Characters frequently look directly into the camera to deliver whispered monologues, bridging the gap between the fictional world and the audience.
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Color and Composition: Shot in brilliant Techniscope, the film uses vibrant primary colors (often mimicking the look of 1960s advertisements) to critique the very consumer culture it is documenting.
Why It Matters
2 or 3 Things I Know About Her is a challenging, intellectual experience that asks the viewer to stop “watching” a story and start “observing” a reality. It remains a powerful critique of how our environments and our desires are shaped by forces—economic and political—that we often fail to notice.
“A landscape is like a face.” — The Narrator
