Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962)

One of the Oscar nominees for Best Documentary Feature this year, as well as my favourite, was Faces Places, a beautiful tribute to France, art and friendship directed by Angès Varda and JR. That's when I decided to check out Varda's filmography but if it wasn't for the people who mentioned Cléo from 5 to 7 (French: Cléo de 5 à 7) in their Thursday Movie Picks, I don't know when or if I would have watched it. 

Cléo (Corinne Marchand) is a hypochondriac French signer who is afraid of getting the result of a test from her doctor. She thinks she has cancer and that she will die. While waiting for the result, she visits a fortuneteller (Loye Payen) who too says she is dying. This completely affects the way she approaches the day, from her encounters with friends to what she observes in strangers. 

This is one of those movies with a very simple and thin plot, and while most of the time this is a flaw/huge problem for me, it definitely isn't this time. The lack of a plot is what allows a deep study of the film's character, Cléo, and her development. 

At first, actually for most of the film, Cléo is nothing but a shallow narcissist. She is the kind of woman who does everything in her power to get attention, and right from the beginning, she milks her illness so that people would give her more attention and would care more about her. But because of her nature, nobody, especially men, boyfriend included, doesn't believe her. Hers could also be an attempt to see if people will care about her once she's gone, but because of the way the character is presented to us, a capricious, spoiled star, we know that's not the case. She complains that men consider her a stereotype, but if there's something she does is confirm that. At the beginning of the film, after she visits the fortuneteller, she says, "As long as I'm beautiful, I'm even more alive than the others" .

Then, all of the sudden, toward the end, she changes. She is no longer the superstitious woman who is afraid of everything, she is a whole new person. At the end, regardless of whether she is sick or not, she realises she is in control of her life, that she has the power to decide. Though her growth happens all together, it's all the experiences and encounters (one is particular) she has in this day that change her. Corinne Marchand is perfect as Cléo. She conveys the inner struggle of the character very well and her screen presence is amazing. 

Compagnie Commerciale Française Cinématographique

Cléo from 5 to 7is also beautifully shot. The camera-work is so varied throughout the film that I can't really put it down on words, but it's outstanding. Some shots are subjective, some are objective, at times the camera moves at the rhythm of the music, at times as if it was a bird. You just need to see this to understand. There's one scene toward the end, a very long and quite uncomfortable shot of Cléo and the soldier she met in the park riding in a bus that is marvellous.

At last but not least, there's a short slapstick film that we, both Cléo and the audience, see, that is just beautiful. My favourite quote is from it, "My glasses made everything look black". Again, you need to see it to understand.