"Vivre sa vie" was an entrancing movie. I think it was the presence of Anna Karina that made the movie hypnotic. Her face captures your attention and draws you into the movie. In fact I think it was her beauty that caused her tragic end. (Onset of a SPOILER warning.) I think Nana's beauty attracted so much attention that she never had to develop a talent or skill to make it in the world. She lived off of her looks. She thought she could make it in "the movies" based on her looks alone. Unfortunately she drifted into prostitution, using her looks to make money, and got involved with a pimp. The scenes of her with her clients were of interest because it seems the men she was with really didn't comment on her beauty. The sex scenes were rather passionless. The men in the pool room ignored her when talking business and when the one did pay attention to her he acted like a fool to amuse her. She existed to be entertained or to entertain, never to be treated seriously. When the young man in the pool room did treat her with some respect and read to her she fell for him and decided to leave her pimp and start a life with him. But the pimp had other ideas and sold her, like a piece of property, that she was, to another pimp, a business transaction. Tragically the deal goes bad and Nana is shot, by both pimps, and left on the street, like a piece of litter. (SPOILER warning defunct.) I think this is a fate of many beautiful women in our western society. They are fawned over because of their beauty but really ignored when things turn serious. They are walking art. Look at Hollywood's treatment of starlets. When young they are hot stars and are all over the celebrity news shows but they quickly grow older, lose their ripeness, and are replaced by younger actresses. They think the interest in them is about some talent they have but it is just because of their beauty. Maybe "Vivre sa vie" is about those starlets. They are pimped then discarded. The movie is worth seeing since it invokes introspection.
Review of Vivre sa vie
