Cleo from 5 to 7 = Cleo de 5 a 7

Varda was the premiere female director of her generation and part of the French New Wave. Her first fully realised feature, ‘Cleo de 5 a 7’ documents, in real time, two or so hours in the life of a young woman awaiting the results of medical tests; she fears the worst. Through an arresting use of Paris as both a visual centerpiece and a reflection of a woman’s inner journey, Varda paints an enduring portrait of Cleo’s evolution from a shallow child-woman to a person who can feel and express shock, anguish, and finally empathy. A spirited mix of verite and melodrama, the film features a score by Michel Legrand (Umbrellas of Cherbourg) and cameos by Legrand, Godard and Anna Karina. One of the few films in which the duration of the fiction approximates actual clock time. Cast includes Corinne Marchand, Antoine Bourseiller, Dominique Davray and Dorothee Blank. In French with English subtitles.