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Cleo from 5 to 7
1962
Drama
Music
1h 30m
Cleo, a singer and hypochondriac, becomes increasingly worried that she might have cancer while awaiting test results from her doctor.
Directed by:
Written by:
Your probable score
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Cleo from 5 to 7
1962
Drama
Music
1h 30m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 70.21% from 1393 total ratings
Ratings & Reviews
(1408)
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Rated 14 Aug 2007
75
54th
Kind of lukewarm on this one. I liked the photography, including the excellent use of tracking shots, and the score was very nice. But I didn't really care what happened to this silly, spoiled, drama queen, who by the end of the picture is only slightly more bearable. But bonus points for the interesting real-time narrative structure.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
Rated 08 May 2021
81
86th
People got a lot more done in two hours in the good old days, evidently. I'm still not sold on most of the New Wave I've seen, but I really like how Varda ensouls a supposedly fairly superficial character and a bunch of random everyday goings-on with the spectre of mortality, the war and violence looming just beyond, the certainty of uncertainty... Also, there's boobies.
Rated 08 May 2021
Rated 22 May 2017
80
92nd
Death or transformation: a phenomenology of perception as conditioned by intentionality, and an account of the potential for something like a caesura in the flow of life's course to lead to psychic rearrangement. Simple, subtle and quietly affecting, with some great moments (e.g., the instantaneous change of tone in the Legrand scene when she begins to sing "Sans toi"). Varda and Demy seem to share an understanding of how tracking shots possess a strange capacity to generate a mood.
Rated 22 May 2017
Rated 17 Dec 2006
70
39th
Tons of fantastic camera work (some of those car tracking shots are among the best shit I've ever seen), sound design and music, but the story and the arc of the main character were underwhelming to me.
Rated 17 Dec 2006
Rated 28 Dec 2007
86
84th
The film is deceptively simple, following Cleo over the span of two hours as she awaits her medical test results. The photography is alittle tight but very charming in its own way and while not much happens eventwise in the film, a lot happens with the character of Cleo. Some of the secondary actors are not very good but Corinne Marchand is wonderful in the lead and draws you in to her thoughts and feelings with her reactions to the world around her.
Rated 28 Dec 2007
Rated 28 Oct 2008
30
8th
Beautifully photographed and has great music, but it sent me to sleep. (But that may be because I was watching it in a lecture hall of 400 students) I didn't feel any compulsion to give a damn about this title's spoiled little drama queen.
Rated 28 Oct 2008
Rated 07 Oct 2008
80
77th
They pick French New Wave nonsense films for film classes because the hint of maybe seeing a boob will keep many a student from nodding off
Rated 07 Oct 2008
Rated 16 Sep 2020
62
39th
I unfortunately didn't find Cleo to be a particularly interesting or engaging character. But damn, Varda sure directs the shit out of it. Perhaps I'd appreciate Cleo's crisis more on a second viewing.
Rated 16 Sep 2020
Rated 13 Mar 2022
50
9th
Intellectually, I get that writer-director Agnes Varda is telling a philosophical story on the existential concerns of women. But you can do that while making an engaging picture. It's a melodramatic soap opera with perfume commercial visuals. The construction is odd: unnecessary chapters, monotonous tone, jagged music, and a childish recurring theme of the hero believing superstitions. It's hard to recommend--even for film students looking for alternatives to the French New Wave canon. Avoid.
Rated 13 Mar 2022
Rated 19 Sep 2008
9
93rd
Really simple story that was totally original for the time. The camera work is incredible. Varda could've stopped here and contributed more to cinema than most directors ever have. Very overlooked movie from the french new wave
Rated 19 Sep 2008
Rated 17 Mar 2009
76
57th
Remember the Hitchcock quote? "Movies are just like life, with all the boring parts cut out." Apparently Varda didn't get the memo. At some places, however, a faint glimpse of beauty shines through, the way a person's hair blows in the wind, the way the sun shines on a car. It's not enough to make this a great movie, but it's enough to make it watchable.
Rated 17 Mar 2009
Rated 03 Feb 2012
5
93rd
That feeling of not knowing what to do with your hands. The excruciating anxiety of hyper-awareness, of oneself and one's surroundings, and the mere passing of time is dreadful. I'm not sure another film has captured that agitated state so well. What a relief to lose yourself for a moment - in a new outfit, or an amusing movie, or for a brief respite at a familiar watering hole. Beyond all that, it's a fun and enlightening transport to the Parisian streets, fashions, and arts of the 1960s.
Rated 03 Feb 2012
Rated 31 Jan 2019
85
85th
What the heck was going on in France in 1962? A man eating living frogs? A dude with a sword in his arm? Those dudes are cool as heck.
Rated 31 Jan 2019
Rated 20 Oct 2007
48
35th
Cleo goes around the city getting bad omens prior to receiving the results of a medical test. A typical product of the French New Wave, Cleo From 5 to 7 is young, kinetic, features innovative camerawork and use of music similar to Godard, and is very cerebral. In fact, I thought it was overly cerebral but with a repressed undercurrent of melodrama that bursts out at key points of the plot. Sworn Godard freaks should probably see this, but to me it's unremarkable.
Rated 20 Oct 2007
Rated 27 May 2020
91
97th
One of those films that is so packed with content and style that it's a full on barrage. Only in the hands of a master film maker does such an assemblage make for more than the sum of its parts. And Varda is certainly a master in that regard as she shows so clearly here. Fundamentally this is a film about death, more specifically being-toward death. As Cleo traverses Paris she starts to realise authentic being.
Rated 27 May 2020
Rated 17 Dec 2006
85
91st
Varda had used elements from French New Wave and German Expressionism to tell how our perception of life is closely tied to our perception of ourselves here. It is a film with many delicate details that has the possibility of growing in oneself over time.
Rated 17 Dec 2006
Rated 17 Nov 2017
5
91st
Wow. I need to see more from her but on first viewing this might just put Varda ahead of her French New Wave contemporaries for me. Cléo is one of the most fully realized characters I've ever seen on film and there is an emotional depth to it all that I've been missing in other New Wave works. That shot of Cléo and Antoine walking at the end is perfect
Rated 17 Nov 2017
Rated 07 Apr 2009
72
30th
Slightly depressing, but mostly boring with occasional moments of inspiration.
Rated 07 Apr 2009
Rated 06 Sep 2007
78
50th
Interesting structure and camera work, and an amazing use of a song to bring depth to a character that really doesn't seem to have a lot otherwise. Sure, the leading lady can be frustrating at times but it's an interesting film all the same.
Rated 06 Sep 2007
Rated 24 Sep 2018
95
96th
Such a rich film, thematically and visually. Life, death, life. Isolation and connection. Aimless, purpose. There is much here to take in. And visually, the film never ceases to engage, with its regular use of close up, jump cuts, and naturalistic style. I am especially smitten with one cut near the end, Cleo and Antoine on a bench, then cut to extreme wide shot, a Lebanon cedar in the background. Beautifully and affectingly done.
Rated 24 Sep 2018
Rated 30 Jan 2019
9
90th
More than just a selfish cry for attention, Cleo's existential crisis is marked by a yearning for a genuine human connection, something I think anyone can relate to. While hopelessly flawed, she's anything but unlikable, a memorable character who despite her self-centeredness manages to invite the audience's sympathy. Varda's dialogues and direction are top notch.
Rated 30 Jan 2019
Rated 20 Feb 2019
65
47th
This moves so much (and gives a great view of Paris in the 60's in the process) that it should be hard to make it uninteresting, and yet all the talking really doesn't do much for me.
Rated 20 Feb 2019
Rated 19 Dec 2022
65
41st
All French movies are the same. Stylish but empty.
Rated 19 Dec 2022
Rated 10 Aug 2020
73
90th
This is best understood as a flaneur film, an hour and a half of a woman wandering around Paris while she waits for the results of her biopsy, more or less in real time. Don't expect conventional plot or suspense. Cleo's vulnerable state as a woman on the edge of transformation leaves her open to everything as she studies the faces on the people on the bus and witnesses scenes of life in the great metropolis. It's greatness is in its portrayal of the delicate turning of her mental weather.
Rated 10 Aug 2020
Rated 12 Apr 2021
80
80th
Fantastic anti chick flick (until it isn't) that occasionally goes all French on you. Good acting, great cinematography and more pointed use of editing than most of the New Wave I've seen. I wasn't a big fan of the use of music but it goes together with the films overall slide into melodramatic fairytale at the end. An excellent portrayal of anxiety associated with the conceptions of femininity that treats its existentialism with enough suspicion.
Rated 12 Apr 2021
Rated 29 May 2021
80
55th
It's like Breathless but good.
Rated 29 May 2021
Rated 05 Jan 2022
4
0th
Making an unlikeable character interesting. Surprisingly out of all the French New Wave I've been through so far, really enjoyed this one, and lots of awesome long shots in cars.
Rated 05 Jan 2022
Rated 11 Oct 2012
80
77th
Cleo was an amusing tapestry of characters and 60's Parisian lifestyles, before it took a strange turn with a conversation in a park and sudden mortality. I have more praise for the camera movement and locations, but some frowning for portions of the writing.
Rated 11 Oct 2012
Rated 22 Feb 2014
5
70th
both an exploration of a woman who's panicking about the possibility of having cancer and a day in the life of a famous singer. i have a lot of experience with the former and none with the latter. the parts focused more on the panicking are better, because some of the romance-related stuff is a bit cheesy. largely though it's up there with the bulk of the new wave.
Rated 22 Feb 2014
Rated 31 Oct 2010
75
68th
Thank you, Agnes, for letting me be in room with Corinne Marchand for 90 minutes without pause. That should get the message through to everybody looking: always look at the bright side of things. Corinne finds some kind of bright side of mortality, so how could I ever find darkness in anything just because of my everyday problems? Ps. Fuck, those new wave basterds knew who to work a camera.
Rated 31 Oct 2010
Rated 30 Sep 2007
80
74th
Could've done without the time-division supers.
Rated 30 Sep 2007
Rated 20 Mar 2022
86
87th
Sometimes it’s nice to keep a classic in your back pocket to watch when you’ll appreciate it more. Beautiful.
Rated 20 Mar 2022
Rated 25 Oct 2022
81
57th
As good as any other New Wave flick, a character study with far more layers than it appears and very nice photography.
Rated 25 Oct 2022
Rated 05 Mar 2024
84
76th
audiovisual 86 acting 87 overall feeling 79 avg 84
Rated 05 Mar 2024
Rated 30 Dec 2022
60
35th
This one didn't really grab me as I'm never quite on the same track as "mood" movies, and this one has it in spades, with the whirlwind tour of Paris with some spots I really wanted to linger on (the female cabbie, the frog man). I thought the highlight was the visit from the musical friends; on the other side, I'll have an ongoing fear of ever driving in France.
Rated 30 Dec 2022
Rated 03 May 2018
8
71st
was really good until that f'ing guy showed up toward the end
Rated 03 May 2018
Rated 19 Jun 2022
83
80th
Beautiful, life affirming movie about finding meaningful human connections. The scene with her singing where the camera pans in the white room to her in front of a black background is tremendously done. Paris is photographed beautifully and the structure of a more or less real time story is well done. Good depiction of the anxiety of waiting for bad news.
Rated 19 Jun 2022
Rated 24 Dec 2022
33
23rd
Beautifully shot. I want to be a smart person but aren't a lot of these art films pretty boring? The main character is very self-centered; it reminded me too much of myself.
Rated 24 Dec 2022
Rated 06 Apr 2019
90
89th
The moments of quiet observation, the taxi ride; an extremely sensual and present film. Cleo is irritating at first, until her assistant's inner monologue indicates the film's self-awareness, and then she takes off that stupid wig and everything is basically perfect from then on.
Rated 06 Apr 2019
Rated 22 Feb 2022
80
68th
I watched this one for the first time just a few months ago, and I didn't connect with the film. I really felt that this was a clear case of "it's not the film, it's me", and upon re-watching I can say that it wasn't the film, it was me.
Rated 22 Feb 2022
Rated 16 Jul 2019
95
95th
Astounded, stirred, and deeply enamored by the final twenty minutes of the film. For such a existential high to make its bed with the simplicity in human connection drives home such an ever present beauty in the way Varda films the city of Paris and the lives therein.
Rated 16 Jul 2019
Rated 12 Aug 2019
78
58th
As a photographer, Varda is able to stage just about each shot so thoughtfully, as well as incorporate the everypeople of the streets. The central character, otherwise, is a bit of a rollercoaster to digest, who we should empathise with due to her anxieties, but also comes cross as a vain and egocentric little white girl (and the film seems to know this). This existential horror film has quite a lot to end on, and ends the landing casually, but not as difficultly as it could've.
Rated 12 Aug 2019
Rated 11 Jun 2020
84
79th
Loved it. And then the marine came in and... I don't know... I didn't live in the 60s in Paris. But I doubt people started liking/loving each other like this.
Rated 11 Jun 2020
Rated 16 Oct 2022
50
23rd
The premise is interesting, some of the themes are promising, and the short homage to silent comedies through Raoul's film is fun. However, it's rather uneventful, the slow tempo occasionally renders it a little dull, the incidents depicted feel disjointed, none of the actors stand out, the protagonist's anxieties and phobias and the backdrop of the Algerian War aren't fully exploited, the dialogues can be mundane, and the finale lacks the meticulous character growth that would make it resonate.
Rated 16 Oct 2022
Rated 15 Feb 2021
55
15th
tarot, fal, şarkıcı, hastalık, tanisma, piyano, alışveriş, şapka, otobüs, park, cafe SPOILER kanser olduğunu düşünen bir kadının tahlil sonucun beklediği iki saatlik süreyi konu ediniyor. Arka planda Fransa- Cezayir savaşı var. Uzun süredir. Bu tarz film izlemiyordum. Biraz ağır geldi.
Rated 15 Feb 2021
Rated 23 Mar 2018
85
87th
Mais c'est juste cléo de 5 à 6:30 bof! Light on existentialism and illness. Pretty great look on gaze dynamics and even better look on whipped-cream-paris-chanteuse-laadidaa.
Rated 23 Mar 2018
Rated 28 Nov 2017
10
95th
Cool that Agnes Varda made a movie about male gaze and the specific way men see women decades before the male gaze even became a term.
Rated 28 Nov 2017
Rated 01 Mar 2008
77
63rd
# 461
Rated 01 Mar 2008
Rated 09 Mar 2013
80
59th
One of the best cinematography of French New Wave I've seen so far, which brings across ideas and captures the spirit of Paris in the 60s better than the plot, dialogue, and characters could.
Characters and plot are mostly unbelievable. Dialogue is not too bad and has its great moments (some parts at the end and at the taxi scene) but the rest is not too remarkable. Still, its watch-able and entertaining and leaves an impression due to its cinematography.
Rated 09 Mar 2013
Rated 20 Dec 2018
85
72nd
Quite delightful, full of life despite being concerned with the fear of death. But how could Paris in the summer be otherwise?
Rated 20 Dec 2018
Rated 28 May 2013
69
38th
I loved the "Sans Toi" sequence. One of the best Legrand compositions.
Rated 28 May 2013
Rated 15 Apr 2009
74
33rd
Interesting as an essay on female identity and voyeurism. These themes are backed up by some great camerawork featuring a lot of thought-provoking angles. The handheld camera is used to brilliant effect in some tracking shots that we would simply take for granted nowadays. Paris is also a spectacular character in the film. The plot left me cold and I could do without many scenes, particularly the last 1/3. But despite its flaws, it's also one of the most watchable French New Wave films.
Rated 15 Apr 2009
Rated 21 Feb 2010
6
53rd
The tracking shots really make me want to visit Paris.
Rated 21 Feb 2010
Rated 09 May 2016
94
98th
(...)Schau dir noch einmal die Szene an, in der Cleo im Park auf den jungen Soldaten Antoine (Antoine Bourseiller) trifft. Obwohl er keine Ahnung hat von ihrem Zustand, redet er ausgesprochen teilnahmsvoll mit Cleo. Beide teilen etwas in diesem Gespräch. Hier wird deutlich, dass eine Frau den Dialog schrieb. Varda lässt Antoine in einem Ton mit Cleo sprechen, wie es sich eine Frau wünscht (wie erfrischend ist das, da wir meistens Frauenfiguren erleben, die Dialogzeilen aufsagen müssen, die g
Rated 09 May 2016
Rated 17 Nov 2014
80
63rd
Kul film der vi følger Cleo i timene før hun får vite resultatet av en legesjekk. Hun er selv overbevist om at hun lider av kreft, noe som preger væremåten hennes i stor grad. En av scenene der hun synger mens hun stirrer rett inn i kameraet var vilt sterkt, og kom svært uventet på for min del. Første Agna-filmen jeg har sett, men absolutt ikke den siste.
Rated 17 Nov 2014
Rated 06 Sep 2016
80
67th
Adorable. Too slow sometimes, boring even, but excellent non-boring parts completely outweigh all the imperfections
Rated 06 Sep 2016
Rated 30 Nov 2011
73
46th
#531
Rated 30 Nov 2011
Rated 19 Dec 2008
70
40th
604
Rated 19 Dec 2008
Rated 13 Aug 2017
80
85th
Nothing more modern than living in a big city and thinking you have cancer and few hours left. Cleo drifts through the streets observing magicians (one swallows frogs), people walking (and recognizing her as famous singer), stores -- every car ride is also depicted minute-to-minute, like the brave female taxi driver --, she meets her music producers, a friend who poses naked for artists and men at the park. Part melodrama, part doc about Paris through the eyes of a singer wandering about NOW.
Rated 13 Aug 2017
Rated 12 Mar 2009
50
38th
I had a lot of trouble getting into this to begin with, as Cleo is so ridiculously annoying, the typical cliche of woman who has everything yet still continuously has a moan every chance she gets. Why am I supposed to care if she has cancer? Despite this, through great character development both Cleo and the film grew on me, and I'm not going to overlook the fact that the music is haunting and the camerawork superb. Still, I guess the French new wave just isn't my thing. Good, not great.
Rated 12 Mar 2009
Rated 23 Aug 2010
90
88th
A must see if you adore French New Wave. Though Cleo is the boring/ cliche/ uninvolving woman role, the cinematography is top notch.
Rated 23 Aug 2010
Rated 08 Nov 2011
85
96th
Evocative, understated and immersed in a quiet power, Cleo de 5 a 7 is pretty much a perfect French film. It feels confessional, and makes the relatively mundane completely mesmerising - much like 'Le Feu Follet' by Louis Malle. the street and car scenes are particularly imaginative and, what's more, the whole thing is absolutely beautifully shot. Early Anna Karina popping up as well. There is a scene in a hat shop which has so much use of mirrors in a clever way, my brain malfunctioned!
Rated 08 Nov 2011
Rated 22 Mar 2013
80
68th
A fun little film, full of all the experimentation and love of films and film-making that embody the French New Wave at its best. So playful and so fun. The ending, which is obviously on our minds a lot as the film rolls out, is exceptionally well handled and somehow manages to be satisfying despite both possible endings on paper seeming, in their own ways, unsatisfying. The film is in a way more intelligent than its playful and soufflé like outer shell lets on.
Rated 22 Mar 2013
Rated 15 Jan 2010
72
44th
554
Rated 15 Jan 2010
Rated 20 Nov 2012
95
95th
19 Kasım 12, Zevahir & Baskalarinin onu nasıl gordugu sorusu ile hayatini devam ettiren guzel, unlu bir kadinin, "ben baskalarini ve bu hayati nasil goruyorum" sorusunu sormaya baslamasini ve bu soru ekseninde yasamaya baslamasini cok iyi anlatmis. Agnes Varda'nin fotografci kimligi, aynadan yansimalar, fondaki politik olaylar, gercek zaman kurulumlu hikaye, yeni evli Godard ve Anna Karina...
Rated 20 Nov 2012
Rated 30 Sep 2009
78
80th
Lots of good camera work and a subtle story.
Rated 30 Sep 2009
Rated 28 Jun 2009
60
47th
Like so many other films from the French New Wave, this isn't particularly interested in anything resembling a conventional plot. Meet Cleo, a French pop singer who's as delicate as a flower. For a while, we get to know her... and her maid, and her lover, and her songwriters, and her kittens... and everything's fine. Then the last half hour of the film is spent with a highly boring male who's desperate to loosen her undies, and that interminable sequence badly weakens the whole film
Rated 28 Jun 2009
Rated 24 Nov 2016
65
32nd
Technically great with lavish camera movements and great cinematography - but the writing doesn't hold up. It takes a weird turn at the end that does not fit the tone of the film. There were some great scenes in the film, but then there were scenes that seemed like it was just filler to fill the "real time" gimmick. Again, there were some great scenes - that scene where she's singing a song is beautiful. And then there were scenes that were just awful.
Rated 24 Nov 2016
Rated 20 Dec 2007
75
53rd
Not really on par with Godard or Demy (her husband) but still very effective in its tone and atmosphere. That liberating feeling of a jaunt through early 60's Paris is enough to fill anyone with a functioning heart with inspiration. The major problem is really with the lead character, which is hardly involving at almost any part of the film (perhaps except when she sings, but I'll credit that to Legrand's gorgeous songs).
Rated 20 Dec 2007
Rated 28 Mar 2010
99
99th
Stunningly beautiful, filled with soul, unbelievably brilliant in action, design and scope.
Rated 28 Mar 2010
Rated 27 Oct 2010
69
65th
Many of the films shortcomings can be forgiven by a pervading sense of giddy experimentation. Cleo herself is an annoyingly vacant dame, and her lenghty doe-eyed ruminations and blank stares almost had me surprised that she wasn't drooling and asking for hugs throughout the movie. But around her, Varda tries out a lorryload of nifty tricks and gimmicks, lending the film it's refreshing playfulness. If you're not into the french new wave, though, definitely leave this one on the shelf.
Rated 27 Oct 2010
Rated 20 Jan 2013
95
93rd
One of the best films of the French New Wave. Told in real time, with a great performance from the gorgeous Corinne Marchand and astounding visuals with inventive camerawork.
Rated 20 Jan 2013
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