Jean-Luc Godard Finished Last Film Day Before His Assisted Suicide

On Sept. 12, 2022, the day before Jean-Luc Godard died by assisted suicide at 91 in his home in Rolle, Switzerland, the Godfather of French New Wave completed his final 18-minute film, “Scénarios,” which premieres on today in Cannes.

“Scénarios” — which comprises two components called “DNA, Fundamental Elements” and “MRI, Odyssey” — is followed by “Exposé du Film Annonce du Film ‘Scènario,’” a 34-minute, behind-the-scenes doc about the making of Godard’s last short.

Iranian multi-hyphenate Mitra Farahani, who was close to Godard in his final years and produced “Scénarios” and the making-of film, spoke to Variety about the highly symbolic project. Watch its official trailer above.

What is the origin of these two Godard short films?

After completing “The Image Book” in 2018, Godard began a new project called “Scénario.” He knew — as he said at the time — that this would be his last project. It wasn’t just a film, but a three-part project. He wrote in his notebook: “Parts 1 and 2, known respectively as the ‘Narrated Scenario’ and the ‘Filmed Scenario,’ and Part 3, known as the ‘Operated Scenario,’ will wait for better days and nights.” Over time, the project was narrowed down to a single film for which he produced several notebooks, like stages in the construction of the film. Godard worked throughout the COVID period. But as the years went by, his body began to tire. The two components present in Cannes are the relics of that great project. From the moment that his Exit Association appointment was made, an urgent need to finish the work took hold. He brought together the necessary elements with [close collaborators] Fabrice Aragno and Jean Paul Battaggia, the choice of texts and images, the editing [became] more concrete every day. This radical approach to his work testifies the determination of his final decision. 

Why did Godard decide to finish the film, even though he knew he was leaving us?

In a way, his whole life was a work of art. There was no clear separation. Godard undoubtedly could not have imagined ending his life leaving an unfinished work. … As his assistant Jean-Paul Battaggia says, “We can’t help thinking that his death is reminiscent of the legend of Molière’s death.”‘” [Legend has it that Molière died on stage].

Is the 18-minute film “Scenarios” premiering at Cannes a condensed version of the initial feature film project, “Scenario,” or something else entirely?

In “Scenarios,” we can find images that made up the different versions of the notebook that was used to build “Scenario,” such as the image of Rembrandt’s lithograph of the child, which was present from the start of the project, including in the film being presented at Cannes. But when it came to putting this image in “Scenarios,” Jean-Luc Godard asked for a completely different frame from the one used in the previous stages … at that precise moment it was an essential, almost obsessive request for him. Throughout his life, throughout his work — the two are inseparable — and until the very last minute, he showed that every detail always has a meaning.

“Scenarios” is produced by Farahani’s Écran Noir Prods. (France) in co-production with ARTE France and Nekojarashi/Roadstead (Japan).