Notre Musique: A Certain Passage

As we know, this film consists of three parts: Hell – Purgatory – Paradise, but the order seems to be strange. From personal point of view, “Purgatory – Hell – Paradise” may be right order because hell or paradise is the place where judged people go after (or through) purgatory.  Of course, purgatory is the place for the people who are given temporary punishment or in the process of purification; however, the order of divided parts in the film looks still strange especially purgatory part contains somewhat mysterious journey of two women in present Sarajevo. If we follow the soul-journey of Judith and Olga, we can EXPERIENCE the ritual of purification through purgatory in the center and then enter to the different stage. This process is like a rite of passage.

Even though I described above purgatory is the process of purification, it is sure that the film’s purgatory is different. When Godard himself looks outside in the car, there are destroyed buildings and streets. How can we describe this scene by language? Maybe it is impossible, and in this purgatory, we cannot describe something that we are seeing. We need to see it. Language is floating in the air.


In film, all visual image and sound are collided and discordant. But this approach is not that experimental because those collision and discord are the film itself. Godard always think and talk about something by the film – image.

Obviously, what we see in the film does not guide us through purification. Instead, we experience many questions without answers. Personally each shot looks like to have something to say but only show itself to us. Besides floating language, all images in purgatory such as blurred images, abandoned books, bridge, or numbered bricks say something. And there is Olga.


Inhan