Cléo de 5 à 7 is a French film made in 1962 directed by Agnès Varda. The story starts with a young singer, Florence "Cléo" Victoire, at 5PM June 21, as she waits until 7PM appointment. The lead in the film is Corinne Marchand who plays Florence 'Cléo Victoire' who is a pop singer wandering around Paris while she awaits her medical test results. Cléo readies herself to meet with her doctor at 7 o'clock by buying hats, travelling around the city, singing with her producers and seeing her lover and meeting with several other friends and strangers while trying to grapple with mortality. She is frequently upset throughout the movie from the lack of perceived care about her impeding visit and her frustration is lashed out to all those who speak with her. This is especially true for her accompanied assistant/friend Angèle played by Dominique Davray during most of the movie. Interesting enough the vast majority of the movie is black and white with only the 1st scene in the movie in color. In this scene Florence is having her future told to her from Tarot reading in the reading she is told lied to by the fortune teller who wishes to spare her the bad news of her death, from then on the movie is black/white. Throughout the film the usage of mirrors is very prevalent; they symbolize the self-obsession Cléo has for her looks.
The film is confronts several of the themes such as existentialism, including discussions of mortality, the idea of despair, and leading a meaningful life. Cléo feels that she has not lived a meaningful life and the frustration with that turns into despair when facing her own mortality. The film has a strong feminine viewpoint and raises questions about how women are perceived in Western society.
The film is confronts several of the themes such as existentialism, including discussions of mortality, the idea of despair, and leading a meaningful life. Cléo feels that she has not lived a meaningful life and the frustration with that turns into despair when facing her own mortality. The film has a strong feminine viewpoint and raises questions about how women are perceived in Western society.