F 2 F

In Godard's Vivre Sa Vie , the face of Anna Karina--or rather her not-face--expresses these virtual conjunctions. Godard continually thwarts the fixed point that determines how we see her, so that we see a lot of the back of this exceptionally unique and beautiful woman's head. Conversations start to look more like the lining up of planets when heads eclipse each other, as if they take place leagues above the game where shot-reverse-shot goes on. This turning does not necessarily mean that we have no access to her character and its life; rather, by showing her not-face in counterpoint to her face, Godard shows how character and life are fixed by a constellation of faces. Outside this constellation is a deeper, more chaotic space, the place of mystics, yes, but also of her own pleasure.

(In general, since she cannot see herself while being filmed or even while living, she is an other to herself.)