Analysis of the film 'Cleo from 5 to 7' by Agnès Varda
The main motive
The film explores a woman's identity and self-perception through the metaphor of mirrors.
Main topic
The impact of social expectations on women's self-esteem, especially through beauty and external image.
Start of tension
Cleo is anxious about the results of a medical test and uses her beauty as a psychological shield.
The symbolism of mirrors
Cleo seeks reassurance in her reflection. The mirrors represent how she perceives herself through the eyes of others.
French New Wave work
The film challenges traditional storytelling, using real-time techniques and a complex protagonist. Cleo's psychological shift: Initially, she conforms to the image that others have of her.
Key moment
After the song "Without You", Cleo refuses to be the object of others' gaze.
She takes off her wig and looks at the world with new eyes, no longer through mirrors, but directly.
Comparison with her friend, Dorothy
The nude model does not see the body as an object for evaluation, but as a form of art.
The mirror breaks.
It symbolizes Cleo's liberation from society's expectations and finding her true identity.
conclusion
Cleo is no longer a reflection of others, but an independent subject who sees the world through her own eyes.
In this analysis, Varda challenges the concept of female identity in a society that treats women as an object of gaze and evaluation.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNE-YaIgdzw
