The American indie cinema icon's love letter to the French New Wave, shot in black and white and told entirely in French, found its perfect launch pad at the world's most glamorous film festival.

Cannes seemed more interested than usual in examining its own history in this year’s program, whether it’s the building of a grand architectural feat in “The Great Arch,” a story loosely based on the L’Oreal heir in “The Richest Woman in the World,