Overview
A poignant exploration of love and disillusionment in the heart of Paris.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- wistful
- melancholic
- arthouse film night
- french cinema study
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Godard's formally inventive portrait of youth, politics, pop culture, and sexual politics as a graceful and intellectually rich classic of the French New Wave.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Paul and his peers are explicitly framed as the children of Marx and Coca-Cola, while their conversations connect romance, consumer culture, and political dissatisfaction.
Interview sequences involving young people and public figures punctuate the courtship story and expose broader attitudes toward sex, politics, and pop culture.
Godard uses black-and-white photography, café encounters, street scenes, and composed close-ups to scrutinize everyday Parisian behavior.
Paul becomes increasingly isolated and frustrated as Madeleine pursues a pop-singing career and their relationship develops unevenly.
Films like Masculin Féminin, and why
Breathless
shared french new wave experimentation, romantic disconnection, and youthful alienation
My Night at Maud's
shared black-and-white modernist style, intimate conversation, and existential romantic uncertainty
The Mother and the Whore
shared political youth culture, sexual tension, and fragmented contemporary social observation
Vivre sa vie
shared courtship tension, pop culture awareness, and playful formal experimentation
Movie Details
- Director
- Jean-Luc Godard
- Release Date
- 1966-03-22
- Runtime
- 105 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (433)
Cast
- Jean-Pierre Léaud
- Chantal Goya
- Marlène Jobert
- Michel Debord
- Catherine-Isabelle Duport
- Evabritt Strandberg
- Birger Malmsten
- Yves Afonso
- Henri Attal
- Mickey Baker
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Masculin Féminin about?
- A disillusioned young veteran navigates an unstable romance and ideological drift amid the pop culture and political tensions of 1960s Paris.
- What is Masculin Féminin like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Masculin Féminin as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Masculin Féminin violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Masculin Féminin as mild.
- What did critics think of Masculin Féminin?
- Critics broadly regard Godard's formally inventive portrait of youth, politics, pop culture, and sexual politics as a graceful and intellectually rich classic of the French New Wave.
- Which films are like Masculin Féminin?
- Films with a similar feel include Breathless, My Night at Maud's, The Mother and the Whore, and Vivre sa vie.
- How long is Masculin Féminin?
- Masculin Féminin runs 105 minutes.
- Where can I watch Masculin Féminin?
- In United States, Masculin Féminin streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max.
