Agnès Varda, 1962. Two hours of a singer awaiting a cancer diagnosis. Real-time Parisian masterpiece.
Cléo from 5 to 7 is a 1962 French New Wave drama film written and directed by Agnès Varda. It follows Florence, a young singer known professionally as "Cléo Victoire", from 5 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. on June 21, as she waits to hear the results of a biopsy that will possibly confirm a diagnosis of stomach cancer. The supporting cast includes Antoine Bourseiller, Dominique Davray, and Dorothée Blank, and composer Michel Legrand, who wrote the film's score, plays Bob, a composer and pianist. Les fiancés du pont MacDonald, a silent short film directed by Varda that Cléo watches at a theater, features a cast composed of several New Wave figures, among them Jean-Luc Godard, Anna Karina, Eddie Constantine, Sami Frey, and Jean-Claude Brialy.