In 1962, “the deliberate destroyer of cinema,” (Sontag 150) Jean-Luc Godard, released one of his most acclaimed and poetic films entitled Vivre Sa Vie (My Life to Live). This is one of the most important films in French cinema history, and the techniques Godard used ushered in the New Wave of French film. Winning Mathieu Kassovitz Best Director at the ’95 Cannes Film Festival and going on to be an instant success across France, La Haine remains one of the most controversial French films ever made. The societal problems in France which caused civil unrest in the film are still very relevant today. Chaos, directed by Coline Serreua, was awarded both the People’s Choice and Critic’s Choice award at the ‘02 Norwegian International Film Festival, and was also nominated for best film. (Unifrance.org) Although these directors from different eras of film have different cinematic styles and narratives, these three groundbreaking movies share in common the theme of a personal journey through the social class struggles of France. Socioeconomic class struggles have been a major theme in all facets of French art for a very long time, and these films express this theme in interesting ways. Vivre Sa Vie is, as Godard himself stated, “a film in twelve scenes,” each a glimpse into the life of a woman along her journey into a career of prostitution and its consequences. It is “one of Godard’s most heartbreaking films, about the social situation of women and their struggles in an unsympathetic world one of the most influential films of the French New Wave.”(ClassicArtFilms.com) In Vivre Sa Vie, Godard used silent film style written narration and creative camera shots that can at times make it feel as though the viewer is an actual observer in the room during scenes. The scenes in the movie depict specific philosophical conversations which were likely important turning points in the character Nana’s life. Godard used an observational documentary film-making style known as Cinema Verite with his own personal twist; nothing is directly explained and only brief windows into Nana’s life are observed. Godard’s use of improvised shots and series of scenes in a narrative have become known as “Godard’s style,” and his influence on directors everywhere helped the film industry of that time transition into a more modern approach.(article) The camera movement in Vivre Sa Vie convinces the viewer that we are not just watching a movie, but watching Nana. When Nana is working in the record store the camera pans back and forth and even turns when she looks out the window. When she is sitting at the bar the camera pans again from left to right, and again when she is on the street when she notices the prostitutes. The camera is not expressing a style, but a way people look at other people. More importantly, the way the viewer would perceive Nana if they were in the room for the conversation. She is a beautiful woman who left her husband and young child to start an acting career, and the film never explains why. One is left to consider what social class she was in before the view into her life offered by the film begins. Things apparently do not go well for a woman alone in French society, as before long Nana is evicted from her apartment, and is eventually being questioned by the police about an event involving “stolen” money. Nana uses men for drinks, cigarettes, and eventually descends into the life of a prostitute. Vivre Sa Vie illustrates perfectly the struggle Nana endures as a woman alone, transitioning from middle-class housewife into a lower-class prostitute because she cannot make a living by herself doing anything else. La Haine is a filmic narrative that takes place over a 24 hour period during a troubled time in Paris, focusing on three boys that live in a “housing estate” (French projects). The movie is very controversial, emphasizing the social unrest caused by class division and racism. Vinz is a poor, white, Jewish boy who lives in a small apartment with his grandmother. Hubert, a young black man and the son of an immigrant, lives with his mother and sister and is the man of the household, responsible for the bills. Said is an Arab boy who is poor but is protected by his older brother, who seems to be a local gang leader. Vinz, Hubert, and Said spend their day obs