Godard first announced plans for the film during the 2010 Cannes Film Festival , when he said its title would be '' Adieu au Langage '' . In a November 2010 interview , he joked that he wanted to cast Humphrey Bogart and Ava Gardner , and said that " it 's about a man and his wife who no longer speak the same language . The dog they take on walks then intervenes and speaks . " He also revealed his interest in 3D and the possibility of using his own dog in the film . Godard initially wanted to cast major stars in the lead roles and asked Sophie Marceau and Vincent Cassel to play the couple . Cassel refused and Godard decided to use unknown actors instead . That year Godard had contemplated retirement , but according to his longtime cinematographer Fabrice Aragno " he can not live without making films . " Filming took place in Switzerland , including at Nyon near Lake Geneva and at Godard 's home in Rolle . Godard worked with minimal equipment and a small crew , including Aragno , Godard 's assistant Jean-Paul Battaggia and a " young man who ensures that the actors and props do n't go missing and no passersby wander into the frame . " All the equipment fit into a single van and included two 3D cameras , a handheld camera which Godard operated , a sound recorder and an umbrella . Godard said that he prefers working with small crews instead of larger ones " as there are for American films where they are allowed to have forty people . Because , if there are fewer of them , they feel too lonely . " The film 's footage was shot over a four-year period
2010 Cannes Film Festival
2010 Cannes Film Festival
Goodbye to Language