Theoretically, a trailer should inspire some interest—morbid or otherwise—in the film it's advertised to... well, advertise. Phony Wars, however, is a posthumous short from the great provocateur of shit-disturbing himself, Jean-Luc Godard, all but ensuring that, even in death, we are left haunted by his pretentious drivel. Less a "trailer" than a scrapbooked storyboard, Phony Wars reads more like an art student's attempted invocation of Godard than a work from the man himself, and it would be difficult to convince me otherwise if not for two factors: A) his other late-period output was just as insufferably empty, and B) Godard himself makes a vocal appearance, as if funding party Saint Laurent all but begged him to leave some evidence that he was actually involved. At just 20 minutes, Phony Wars remains a mercifully brief burden to shoulder; on the other hand, that the film is so short and easily assembled makes our sitting through Godard's half-assed effort even more insulting.

Cannes 2023.
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