A Woman is a Woman

A few weeks ago, I watched a film titled A Woman is a Woman, a film directed by Godard and starring Anna Karina. The movie is about a woman named Angela, who works as a stripper and lives with her boyfriend, Emile. She constantly asks him for a baby, but he is not willing to hear it. They love each other so much that they are willing to go as far as possible to see how much the other person loves them. Angela even says she will sleep with another man to get pregnant, and Emile offers up his best friend, Alfred, who says he also loves Angela.

Many people say the relationship between Emile and Angela is toxic, and I can see why they say that. Both of them torture themselves and each other to get what they want, while at the same time trying to show their love. And while they may fight constantly with each other, they still manage to maintain a sense of compatibility, moving in sync with each other.

In the scene below, they continually say they will not speak to each other, choosing instead to fight using the titles of books. But before they do that, they get ready for bed together. Angela picks up one corner of the blanket, then waits for Emile to pick up the other and pull the sheet back together. They both climb into bed at the same time, wiping off the dirt on their feet. Emile makes sure the blanket covers the both of them as Angela reaches for an alarm clock and sets the time. She then hands it over to Emile, who tucks it underneath the mattress. All of this happens without a word, but they have done it so many times that it becomes second nature and they do not do it grudgingly.

Throughout the course of the movie, Angela and Emile continue to fight over having a baby. Things become complicated when Alfred tells Angela that he loves her and shows her a picture of Emile and a prostitute, whom he slept with. Angela then decides to sleep with Alfred, although it is a little unclear whether she really did or not. However, she tells Emile that she did. This leads to the both of them discussing the fact that sleeping with Emile right after Alfred will make it hard to know who the father is. The movie ends with the two of them making up, with Emile finally agreeing to have a baby.

The movie itself is quite charming. Everything from the soundtrack to the camera work makes it witty and comedic. I would recommend this movie to anyone.