My Life to Live

This film was strikingly similar to the movie Pickpocket in that both man characters resort to illicit habits for a sense of thrill and life. Anna Karina's character, Nana, is a confused, bored, and very un-enthused about life. After she turns to prostitution, she continues to spiral into being a lonely and alienating person. She loses her boyfriend, gets evicted from her flat and cannot get a role in movies, so she resorts to something that she thinks is adventurous and thrilling. She rationalizes her actions in a very nonchalant way, and begins to give attitude and by the end of the movie, she just becomes another one of "those girls." She simply becomes another floozie that blends into the crowd.

The way the movie is shot really depicts this loss of individuality. At one point in the film she is all dressed up and ready to "work" but as she is walking through the restaurant and the street, she doesn't stand out anymore. The film at one point focuses on her eyes and it really shows how much of herself she has lost. The film is also shown in "episodes" and although they deal with the same character, they show her gradual decay into a world that she is trying to hang on to.