The film has a profound and thought-provoking debate on the great changes brought about by modern digital network technology to the publishing industry. The characters in the film lead to thinking about the development and evolution of today's entire world and society, while interspersed with the individual emotional conflicts of the French , incomparably realistic and delicate dialogues frequently appear in the golden sentences, and the seriousness often brings out the effect of funny and absurd. The film is also the work with the most dense dialogue and the most intellectual atmosphere in Assayas's works. It is quite the essence of the intellectual's long talk on philosophy, love and society in the works of the new wave master Eric Rohmer.
Despite the unmistakably French character of the characters and environments in Non-Fiction, Assayas's eyes remain, as always, focused on the world outside of France. Assayas is interested in the changes of national power in the context of globalization. He uses witty lens language, easy-to-resonate stories, and rich and precise character modeling to present the ever-changing national landscape. "Non-Fiction" has neither the sublime reverie of "Summertime" nor the sweet mystery of "Sils Maria." Its tone tends to be comical, and the pacing is so brisk that viewers may overlook its intricate narrative design, as well as the director's wit and logic. The French title of the film, "Non-Fiction," is more apt than the English title, "Fiction." All the main characters are juggling with life, and difficulties pervade their inner and outer lives. Everyone is good at French customs, cleverly hiding their true emotions behind sarcasm, sanity, and small talk. The best performance in the film comes from Juliette Binoche, who is so good that it's easy to assume the character is from real life. Binoche often plays emotionally unstable women, but Selena has a secret and a defensive personality. Binoche's talent is that she can show us every crack in the armor.
