Made in USA (1966)

 Jean-Luc Godard's "Made in USA"

There is always a certain level of confusion involved with a typical Jean-Luc Godard film. Whether that's the breaking of narrative, the way he edits shots together, or the intentionally convoluted nature of the plot. With his 1964 film "Made in USA," I would attribute the latter. However, this attribution of the film does not make it off-putting. To some, absolutely. But to me, I find it utterly refreshing to watch a Godard film, even when there are elements and plot points that confuse me. 

In fact, I could not even tell you what the plot even is from my own understanding of what I witnessed. By my accounts, a writer named Paula goes to the French town of Atlantic-Cite to investigate the death of her former colleague and lover, Richard. She then gets thrust into a world of conspiracy and political maneuvering. Surrounded by lies, misinformation, bad actors, and ideological struggles, her search for Richard's killer becomes a tangled political web of deception.

I think what assisted me most in understanding the film on a thematic level was its comparison to Howard Hawks' 1946 film "The Big Sleep," which similarly had an intentionally convoluted plot. In "The Big Sleep," the Humphrey Bogart character must navigate a web of conspiracy and lies to uncover the truth about a murder. In the end, it only gets messier and he ends up joining the uncertainly, ultimately corroding his sense of morality. 

Similarly, Anna Karina's Paula ultimately becomes part of the diversion and conspiracy that she is battling against. The convolution exhibited in the film represents the intentional confusion peddled by governments to battle against ideological detractors. The fear, as iterated by the characters, is that through the confusion, fascism will arise. Paula believes that you must subject yourself to morally questionable behavior in order to fight it. To beat political corruption, you must first corrupt yourself in the process.

Although "Made in USA" is my least favorite of Godard's films that I've seen thus far, it is still far better than a typical film. The creative output by Godard always keeps the viewer engaged, even if it causes confusion. I would rather be engaged with a confusing story than disengaged with a boring, straightforward one.