Cleo from 5 to 7 Details

[Highly rated reviewer]

Viva Varda!

I've raved on about another Varda movie ('Le Bonheur') elsewhere on these boards, I won't go on for too long about this one, suffice to say it's a masterpiece, (not so) pure and (certainly not) simple.

Visually one of the most beautiful black and white films of the period (if not full-stop), without thrusting it's brilliance self-consciously up front. An unparalleled giddy ride across Paris, a dancing exploration of celebrity culture, consumerism, femininity, humanity, the buying of hats and reading of tarot cards!

The story? Crudely: Paris Hilton gets a life. Take the most annoying, rich, talentless, modern celeb and somehow make us care for her as she goes from utter vacuity and superficiality to...well I won't spoil, but the two hours of filmic time we witness of her life are as engrossing and dramatic as if we were watching Kurosawa directing the Odyssey...

Not to suggest Varda is at all like Kurosawa! She's her own thing entirely. A real Bobby Dazzler of a director, in the best sense, but with real depth and wisdom to match.

Other movies it might remind you of? Well, apart from plenty of New Wave matter I could mention, I do know 'Lost in Translation' was heavily influenced by it, as, I assume is Wong Kar Wei. I guess the 'Before Sunrise / Sunset' diptych is also an echo.

But enough of these half-hearted comparisons, try it and see.