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?
I believe Cleo from 5 to 7 is a feminist film because Cleo wields power in relationships and does so respectfully despite the fact she is in poor medical condition. After considering whether The Lady Eve is a feminist film or not, I learned that the most important aspect of feminism is for women to wield power and do so without embodying any negative stereotypes, and I think that, as characters in film, Cleo does what Jean cannot, empowering herself in a respectful manner. I used Cleo’s relationship with Antoine as an example for what I see to be her empowerment because when he first came up to her, I suspected that he had romantic intentions with her. The simple fact that he came up to her shows that right off the bat, she is no longer the one pursuing the relationship. Whether Antoine ever had those romantic intentions or not, Cleo’s confident and sophisticated manner shows her independence because unlike Jean and the other women in The Lady Eve, she does not fall for or pursue love interests with just any man. Another thing that sets Cleo apart from Jean and those other women is that she does not embody the sexist stereotype, reducing herself down to her sexuality. Cleo remains modest, and she clarifies that she believes in modesty both in her questioning of her friend who is a naked model for an art studio and when she tells Antonio that she could not go naked because of how important she believes modesty is. Some might argue that Cleo does not truly wield power because her first friend consistently bosses her around, but in that case, it is still another woman telling her what to do. Cleo is a feminist model in a feminist film because she wields power in her relationship with Antoine, and she manages to do so in a modest and trustworthy way, which is a complete opposite to Jean and the women in The Lady Eve.
ReplyDeleteCleo from 5 to 7 makes it obvious that it has a female director behind the scenes. Just watching the movie, one may not notice it right away, but there is small hints in the movie that resemble what a female director might choose to incorporate in their movie. The small hints involve character choice and the characters’ words. First, some film critics look for more than one main character that are girls who interact with each other often or for a significant time period in the movie because sometimes there may be a woman main character but she is only talking to other men main characters. Cleo from 5 to 7 makes sure there is a strong friendship between the two girl main characters (along with the lady who helps Cleo in her house). These two girls take up a good portion of the movie talking about what is going on in their life. This “girl talk” is an example of feminism in character choice and dialogue. Although the general “girl talk” is a part of the feminist dialogue, an even more specific example is when Cleo mentions something to Antoine in their conversation. They are talking about what they are both doing at the park. They establish Cleo is looking for something instead of someone (medical results), but then Cleo makes a comment as to what Antoine is doing in the park. She says, “a man should always be following a woman”. This comment is very feminist in itself because it suggests that the woman is in power and the man just goes along with her, even an accessory to an extent. The woman leads and the man follows. It is very sneaky of the director to add this feminist comment into their dialogue. The dialogue carries on so it is assumed Antoine casually accepts what she says. Due to the character choices and the choice of words included in the dialogue this film can be easily recognized as a feminist film, which usually means a feminist director.
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ReplyDeleteThe film, “Cleo from 5 to 7,” definitely has a feminist perspective. The protagonist, Cleo, did not need a husband to help her with what she was going through. She predominately confided in her female friends and although nervous remained strong on the outside. One of the greatest feminist moments in the film, however, was actually when Cleo stopped by her house for a moment. Although, the focus of the scene was Cleo struggling to do pull ups and worrying about her potential illness, there was a huge feminist element in this scene. Cleo had a huge master bedroom along with a maid. The film shows through this small detail, that Cleo is an independent, hard working woman who does not need a husband to be successful. Another example of Cleo being a feminist is in the park. Cleo is walking in the park when she sees a man who tries very hard to flirt with her. Cleo is completely uninterested and is able to switch the conversation to her illness and fear of death. The man is blown away by Cleo’s story and starts to open up about his time in battle. Cleo getting this character to open up as opposed to having him flirt with her shows that Cleo wants to be thought of as more than just a pretty face and really wants to have intellectual conversations. There are no moments in the film which contradict its feminist nature.
I think that the film Cleo 5 to 7 is neither a feminist film or a non-feminist film; I believe the film incorporates aspects of both. On the feminist side of the argument, the film has a female director which in a way automatically makes the film at least a little feminist- simply due to the lack of female directors in Hollywood now and in the time of the film. Additionally, Dorothee, Cleo’s friend, is a very feminist woman and is shown living freely and happily. Dorothee is a model who occasionally poses nude. When Cleo questions her about how she is able to do it, Dorothee responds by saying she is confident in her body- a trait that women are told not to have. Dorothee is also shown working, driving, lifting heavy things, running errands, and doing things independently all while remaining likable and womanly. She also has a boyfriend who loves her despite her ‘nontraditional’ qualities and treats her like an equal as opposed to an object. In my opinion, Dorothee is the biggest example of feminism shown in the film. On the non-feminist side of the argument, despite being the protagonist, I don’t think that Cleo is a good example of feminism. She is a very one dimensional character, feeling only (unconvincing) misery throughout the majority film, and the bits of depth she does have revolve around men. Cleo is very obsessed with beauty and looking perfect, which is something that is not considered to be a feminist quality. Additionally, the only time we see her happy in the film is after a random man showed up and supposedly cured her misery- despite her finding out she has cancer. Overall, I don’t think the film is fully feminist or fully not feminist; I think it falls somewhere between the two where people can interpret it as they wish.
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