Notre musique 2004

The film is structured into three distinct segments, drawing inspiration from Dante’s Divine Comedy.

Realm 1: Hell features a concise, non-narrative montage that utilizes both documentary and fictional footage, showcasing grim depictions of war, destruction, and violence.

Moving into Realm 2: Purgatory, the main portion of the film unfolds as Jean-Luc Godard portrays himself, lingering at an airport while anticipating his flight to a European arts conference in Sarajevo. During this wait, he encounters Ramos Garcia, a French Israeli who is headed to the conference as an interpreter. Excited about reuniting with his niece, Olga Brodsky, a French-speaking Jew with Russian ancestry, Ramos shares his eagerness. At the same conference, Judith Lerner, a journalist from Tel Aviv, approaches the French ambassador, urging him for a discussion on Jewish-Palestinian relations stating she seeks “not a just conversation; just a conversation.” Judith also engages with poet Mahmoud Darwish, who argues that Israel’s identity shapes the Palestinian struggle. As she explores the city, she visits the symbolic Mostar bridge, where she reflects on Emmanuel Levinas’s works (Entre Nous).

Meanwhile, Olga participates in Godard’s lecture, which ostensibly discusses the interplay of image and text. Godard critiques the traditional “shot/reverse shot” technique prevalent in cinema, arguing it diminishes the uniqueness of characters and can serve as a propaganda tool. Later, Olga and her uncle Ramos delve into the profound philosophical implications of suicide.

After the conference’s conclusion, Godard returns home to tend to his garden. He receives a call from Ramos, who recounts a chilling incident involving a young woman who stormed a theater claiming she had a bomb, demanding someone to die alongside her for the sake of Israeli-Palestinian peace. In a frightening turn, the audience fled and the police intervened and shot her; her bag revealed only books. Ramos suspects that the woman might have been Olga.

Realm 3: Heaven serves as a brief epilogue, where Olga meanders through a serene lakeside environment, seemingly overseen by American marines.

Notably, the film’s soundtrack features contributions from Meredith Monk, an American composer, enhancing the film’s emotional and thematic depth.