Sign up
Trailer

The Image Book

2018Movie1 h 28 minNR

DocumentaryDrama
72
GoodGoodWatch score
IMDb6.2Letterboxd3.4/5Metacritic766.5Rotten Tomatoes89%50%

An intricate, philosophical documentary movie about society and history, with standout direction and cinematography.

Good for thought-provoking · adults · solo watch

Skip it if you need an uplifting mood · you want fast pacing · you want to half-watch while scrolling

Where to watch

Set your services

Fingerprint

Not for warmth, comfort or laughs.

Movies with

Story

Nothing but silence. Nothing but a revolutionary song.

In Le Livre d’Image, Jean-Luc Godard recycles existing images (films, documentaries, paintings, television archives, etc.), quotes excerpts from books, uses fragments of music. The driving force is poetic rhyme, the association or opposition of ideas, the aesthetic spark through editing, the keystone. The author performs the work of a sculptor. The hand, for this, is essential. He praises it at the start. “There are the five fingers. The five senses. The five parts of the world (…). The true condition of man is to think with his hands. Jean-Luc Godard composes a dazzling syncopation of sequences, the surge of which evokes the violence of the flows of our contemporary screens, taken to a level of incandescence rarely achieved. Crowned at Cannes, the last Godard is a shock film, with twilight beauty.

Feels like

  • Experimental Cinema
  • Essay Film
  • Meta-Narrative
  • Archival Montage
  • Philosophical Inquiry
  • Social Critique
  • Non-Linear
  • Abstract
  • Visually & Auditory Dense
  • Artistic Masterpiece

Cast

16 of 16

Crew

Directed by
Jean-Luc Godard
Written by
Jean-Luc Godard
Produced by
Fabrice Aragno, Georges Schoucair, Mitra Farahani

Everyone

Pick a department, or search for a name or a job (“editor”, “stunt”).

Facts

October 11, 2018 · 1 h 28 min · NR

Released
October 11, 2018
Runtime
1 h 28 min
Age rating
NR
Content
Disturbing Imagery
Genres
Documentary, Drama
Original language
French
Also spoken
English, Arabic
Made in
France, Switzerland, Iran
Available in
19 countries

Q&A

5 questions, like "Where can I stream The Image Book?"

Questions about The Image Book

Quick answers from GoodWatch data.

Where can I stream The Image Book?

KanopyHooplaKino Film Collection

In the United States, The Image Book streams on Kino Film Collection, and it is free with ads on Kanopy and Hoopla. You can rent or buy it from Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, and Fandango At Home. It also streams in 16 other countries.

Is The Image Book worth watching?

72
GoodGoodWatch score

Mostly, it's well received, with a GoodWatch score of 72 (IMDb 6.2, Letterboxd 3.4 out of 5, Rotten Tomatoes 89%, and Metacritic 76). Critics rate it higher (83 out of 100) than audiences (61).

Can I half-watch The Image Book?

Easy watchDemanding

No, it needs your attention: the title analysis rates it 10 of 10 for complexity and 10 for philosophical.

Will I feel good after watching The Image Book?

BleakHopeful

Probably not: the title analysis rates it 8 of 10 for bleakness and 7 for melancholy, against 2 for hopefulness.

Is The Image Book in English?

FrenchEnglishArabic

No, it was made in French, with some English and Arabic.