Selected for Letterboxd Video Store by guest curator Richard Linklater.

PARIS IS A PROMISE. YOUTH IS A DEADLINE.

Three young Parisians drift through precarious jobs, half-formed romances, and the intoxicating freedom of early adulthood. While a summer escape to Corsica offers a break from routine and the demands of their toxic jobs, their friendships and desires begin to fracture under the weight of reality waiting back home.

Often overshadowed by its better-known contemporaries, Adieu Philippine is one of the French New Wave’s great hidden treasures. The debut feature from Jacques Rozier, coined “the youngest film of the New Wave” by Jean-Luc Godard, was shot largely with nonprofessional actors and shaped through improvisation. The film captures the restless energy of early-1960s Paris with a spontaneity that later defined the movement. Its reputation has steadily grown over decades through critical reappraisal, positioning it today as one of the era’s essential rediscoveries.

Languages:French. English subtitles available.