Tuesday, April 9, 2019
Female Director, Female Protagonist, Feminist Film?
Cleo from 5 to 7 is our first film directed by a woman. In addition it has a female protagonist. But does that mean this film has a feminist perspective? Are there any feminist ideas in this movie and if so what are they? Are there any elements in this film that might preclude or at least challenge a feminist interpretation?
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I think that the female director brought a new sense of emotional empowerment for women. Throughout the movie, Cleo deals with the emotional rollercoaster of discovering that she has cancer. At the beginning, Cleo is very distraught that she may have cancer, she becomes afraid of death and weary of conversations about life and happiness. In the scene where Cleo and her friend are leaving the friend's movie tech boyfriend, a mirror breaks. In this scene, Cleo stares at the mirror and becomes petrified that the broken glass is an omen for her death. Her friend doesn't believe in omens but tries to comfort Cleo by saying that it wasn't for her. Cleo expresses her concerns about dying and feeling helpless. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Cleo becomes content when she finally learns that she has cancer, and it's treatable. The particular scene is her and the sailor she met in the park talking after the doctor drives away. Cleo smiles and tells the man that she is happy. At this point in the film Cleo has made her peace with cancer and the fate of her life. Cleo asks the man to sit with her as they watch the beauty of nature. The director made Cleo's emotional progression one of the main focuses of the film, and that is groundbreaking for film and women's rights at the time. The inclusion of Cleo's emotions creates a more realistic and complex picture of Cleo as a person. In previous films, women were typically portrayed as objects or as having little personality. Cleo from 5 to 7 makes the emotional part of the film just as important as the plot, which makes the film more relatable because viewers can relate to Cleo's snappy and inconsistent feelings because feelings are complicated and confusing. This is emotional empowerment for women because it shows women that they are allowed to have and express their emotions, and that they can be slightly broken and still loved.
ReplyDelete“Cleo from 5 to 7” is a resoundingly feminist film, as director Agnes Varda empowers protagonist Cleo and her female friends throughout. Possibly the first hint of feminism in the film is Cleo’s self-dependency. Evident is a strong, successful, and somewhat selfish pop singer, not dependent on a man, who is leading a life of her choice. Yes, she may have a boyfriend, an older and mature one at that, but Varda only shows him once, so as not to portray Cleo as a woman dependent on a man either emotionally or financially. Instead of being focused on a man, which is the case for many film’s female protagonists, Cleo is focused on getting back her biopsy results. This decision of Varda’s to focus on a medical test, as opposed to a man, speaks feminist volumes. During the film, Cleo meets her chic, cigarette-smoking friend for lunch, and the audience learns that this friend has just begun driving and no longer relies on a man to drive her. Toward the ending, Cleo meets an Algerian War soldier in a park, but, unlike cinema’s traditional depiction of heterosexual relationships, Cleo, the female, manifestly dominates and controls her new relationship with the soldier. In other words, she does not fawn all over him, but vice versa. This is yet another example of Varda’s desire to empower women. “Cleo from 5 to 7,” a film completely devoid of misogyny and female dependency on men, excellently depicts two hours in the life of an egotistical, worried, and, above all, independent French woman.
ReplyDeleteCleo from 5 to 7 has many elements that embrace the feminist ideas of female empowerment, and having a female director is most likely the reason for this view. Cleo is the idea of a modern woman, who breaks all types of tradition. Cleo is completely independent, and she is a woman who is wildly successful and supports herself through her own talent and hard work. Although her actual lines of dialogue can come across as weak, her actions speak to the strong woman that she is. When she feels helpless and anxious about her test results, she tries to take matters into her own hands and control her own fate. By seeing the tarot reader/fortune teller, she tries her best to be prepared to receive the worst possible news. She is an extremely strong woman who chooses to work anyway despite feeling anxious and upset about her test results. Aside from the character of Cleo herself, other women in the film are portrayed as strong as well. Her cab driver is a woman, which is a job that is considered to be dangerous and is not traditionally done by a woman. Her maid constantly encourages Cleo to be strong and remains composed in light of Cleo’s news and emotions. I also believe that most of the men in the film are all portrayed with major character flaws, and play with her emotions like a practical joke. Bob and Maurice dress up as doctors to make fun of her, her lover doesn’t really care for her, and Antione makes insensitive jokes during their ride on the train. I think that this is a feminist film because the strong female lead experiences profound character development, which allows her to have a happy ending. Once Cleo learns to become less shallow and let go of the material things, her life takes a turn for the better and she is able to accept her fate.
ReplyDeleteSitting down knowing that a film is directed by a women, changes the perspective and allows for the audience to watch for feminism before the film even starts. It makes the audience question, “how is this film going to portray feminism?” Cleo from 5 to 7, by Agnes Varda, gives an extremely strong view of the lead role, Florence “Cleo” Victoire, as a feminist. This film shows two hours of her life, with the result that she has cancer. Knowing that you have cancer and not much time left, is one of the most striking things to hear. Although, this does not stop her from going about her day. Yes, there are times of mourning that she shows. For example, her breakdown in the café as she tells her friend the news. This is completely acceptable as humans have emotions, so I would not say this shows a sign of weakness, especially through her next actions. Cleo is an artist, a singer, and she continues to practice this within two hours of hearing the news. Bob, a pianist, comes to her home for rehearsal, where she continues to do what she loves. Cleo has many thoughts going through her head, but she does allow this to stop her. In the end, she says she is ready to face her test results. The doctor insures her that with treatment, she will be healthy in two months. She shows an extremely strong feminist character, who will get through her difficult situation.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I believe the French new wave film Cleo from 5 to 7 is a feminist film because it does not necessarily focus on explicit feminist issues; it illustrates the daily life of a leading female in a way that is relatable to all audiences. Varga, a female director, created this film around a female protagonist. Especially relative to the films studied in our class, Cleo is one of the first times where a female character was depicted as normal. Feminism, by definition, is about the equality of the sexes. By showing Cleo’s everyday life, it provides a connection for both the male and female sex to relate and highlights that everyone has similar lives, struggles, and desires. The film begins with Cleo having her tarot cards read, fortune telling. While not specifically relevant today, the idea of looking to others for guidance or explanation is a unifier among the sexes. Following the fortune teller, Cleo begins to worry she may have Cancer. The presence of this disease in the film itself is a unifier because so many people, regardless of sex, are touched by Cancer and other illness of similar severity. Cleo begins to overanalyze the situation and place all of her focus on the possible diagnosis; this is, again, a similar experience for men, as well. Similarly, Cleo attempts to find love in the movie and she is sometimes fixated on relationships; it eventually works out with Antoine. Many people can understand the desire of being in a secure, steady relationship, so this is another example of the universality of the film. Overall, because feminism is about equality and, for the first time, the film depicts a woman as an everyday, relatable person, Cleo can be considered a feminist film.
ReplyDeleteI think having a female director makes it so that the female characters in the movie have more depth than just the love interest for the male lead/leads. Cleo from Cleo 5-7, is no exception. Cleo is not the only character to receive more depth than a female character would in a male directed movie. Cleo’s friend, the one who works at the art school as a model posing for the art students to draw/paint, although she has a boyfriend, he is just a side character only making it into the movie for a scene or arguably two. Because the film was directed by a female, all he does is kiss his girlfriend hello and goodbye, and if he has lines, they are not memorable enough for the viewer of the movie to remember them after the movie is over. In a male directed film, there might very well be a female model who is of higher character status in the movie than her boyfriend, but in a male directed film, the man would probably have a larger part in the scene, or at least more lines. He also very well might have appeared in more scenes in the movie as maybe making a comeback if there was a male director. A male director would almost ensure the boyfriend a larger part because the only perspective in a relationship a male can truly provide insight on is that of the male’s side; therefore, the boyfriend character, rather than being a one scene two bit movie screen technician, would be a character possibly with feelings and character development.
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