--- title: "Vivre Sa Vie: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/vivre-sa-vie/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/vivre-sa-vie" critics_score: 80 critics_reviews: 11 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Vivre Sa Vie (1962): what the critics said Critics' score 80 from 11 reviews: 9 positive, 2 mixed, 0 negative. ## Radio Times — Adrian Turner Rating 5/5. Turner presents the film as a New Wave masterpiece, emphasizing its spiritual portrait of Nana. He singles out Godard’s chapter-based storytelling and Raoul Coutard’s camerawork as notable features. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-0yx0sz/vivre-sa-vie/) ## The AV Club — Keith Phipps Rating A. 21 April 2010. Phipps finds the film’s philosophical ideas somewhat patchwork, but says Godard’s cinematic confidence and mounting tragedy bring it together. He praises the distancing compositions for deepening the film’s portrayal of desire and humiliation. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/vivre-sa-vie-1798164772) ## Empire — David Parkinson Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. Parkinson calls the film Godard’s forgotten masterpiece and says it makes cinema-going worthwhile. He singles out Anna Karina’s bewitching performance and the film’s beautiful photography. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/vivre-sa-vie-review/) ## The Guardian — Philip French Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 6 September 2015. French regards the film as an influential, highly original work and says its power endures. He praises its carefully composed shots for questioning cinema, appearance and reality, and perception. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/06/vivre-sa-vie-dvd-review-jean-luc-godard-philip-french) ## The New Yorker — David Denby Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 25 May 2008. Denby presents the film as a fatalistic, fragmented portrait of Nana that culminates in a moving ending. He praises Anna Karina’s vivacity and soulfulness for unifying the portrait despite Godard’s distancing techniques. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/06/02/tis-pity) ## Slant Magazine — Eric Henderson Rating 4/5. 19 April 2010. Henderson praises the film as a compelling, finely balanced work shaped by the tension between Godard and Karina. He especially singles out Karina’s vivid, captivating performance. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/vivre-sa-vie/) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1961. The review is positive about Godard’s sustained, unsentimental portrayal of a young woman adrift in Paris. It especially praises Anna Karina for giving the character truth and depth. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1961/film/reviews/vivre-sa-vie-film-en-douze-tableaux-1200420019/) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 73/100 (inferred from the text). The accessible page does not reveal the critic’s verdict or specific praise or complaint. The URL indicates a Great Movies article about Godard’s film, but its critical details cannot be verified. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-vivre-sa-vie-my-life-to-live-1963) ## Time Out — TM Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). The page presents Godard’s film as a sequence of Brechtian tableaux tracing a sex worker’s life and death. Its description singles out the shift from documentary-like treatment of prostitution to a Monogram-style B-movie ending. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/vivre-sa-vie) ## Evening Standard Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. The piece offers a mixed, questioning view rather than a clear verdict. It singles out the film’s shifting styles and suggests its connection to Karina’s marriage to Godard, but leaves that interpretation uncertain. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/vivre-sa-vie-7432730.html) ## Paste — Andy Beta Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 5 August 2010. Beta finds the film resonant and singular within Godard’s body of work. He praises its moody, sparse style and its exploration of the economics of pleasure. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/jean-luc-godard/vivre-sa-vie-dvd-review) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/vivre-sa-vie.md