20 Foreign Language Movies You Must See Before You Die
15. Cleo From 5 To 7
Country: France.
Plot: A materialistic singer travels through Paris and meditates on her existence while awaiting results for a cancer test.
Another French New Wave film, this is a criminally underrated one directed by the late Agnes Varda.
This is a very rewarding and rich drama film that has all the fantastic visuals and cinematic invention that define the French New Wave, but it also goes into different thematic territory from most of the others, partly because it is a rare female-centric film in a largely male-dominated movement.
This makes for a deeply heartfelt, touching character study of a very interesting protagonist that's filled with clever visual flourishes and striking, unique moments; for example, Jean Luc-Goddard has a memorable cameo as an actor in a film the protagonist watches in a cinema.
This is easily a classic of French cinema and it's a real shame more haven't seen it.