Chances are, if you have even a passing interest in cinema, you will have heard of the term ‘French New Wave’. Chances are, if you have more than a passing interest in cinema, you will have at least seen a couple of the films that are linked to that term, such as Jean-Luc Godard’s À bout de souffle  or François Truffaut’s The 400 Blows.

There’s nothing, and we’re exaggerating here, more frustrating than digesting a famous bit of culture and not understanding what the big deal is. The author of this particular article has never been able to get his exactly what all the fuss is about Joy Divison’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart.”

Tangent. Have you seen any of those famous French New Wave flicks and wondered to yourself what it is that makes them so famous and why people often cite À bout de souffle  (Breathless in English-speaking countries) as one of the most important and influential films of all time? Don’t worry, we’ve got you. No. Film School Rejects has got you.

Here’s a nifty video essay that’s been put together by those friendly folk over at Film School Rejects that helps outline exactly what makes them so famous and, consequently, why people often cite À bout de souffle as one of the most important and influential films of all time.

We’re relentlessly bombarded with films that do the opposite of push boundaries (pull boundaries? pull inside bits?), so it’s always nice to take a moment to appreciate ambitious, innovative work that helped changed the face of culture. Feel free to take that moment now.