Fay Roberts’s fourth sonnet this year is inspired by Agnès Varda’s nouvelle vague observational tragedy (can you tell I’ve no idea how cinema language works?), French movie, Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962), written by Agnès Varda, and starring Corinne Marchand, Antoine Bourseiller, Dorothée Blanck, and Dominique Davray
She turns the cards out one by one to see
the only colour in this tense affair.
But please don’t make a fuss, ma belle chérie –
you’ll mar this mask they need of savoir faire.
We flirt with luck, and check the numbers twice;
I don’t have time to list out all the signs
the auteur uses in this room’s device.
Ça ne fait rien – this angel’s not resigned.
What hope she has is sculpted in the curve
of friendship; stares define what she’ll become.
Grotesqueries abound at every swerve,
but c’est la vie – hold fast and chew your gum.
Mais si tu n’est pas fort, la chance prévaut,
car sinon l’avenir arrive… trop tôt.
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| Still sourced via The Criterion Collection |
If you have access to the BFI, you can watch the 1:30 long, French language movie here. Content warnings include: medical concerns, cancer, period-typical misogyny, grotesque street theatre, racism. Let us know what you thought if you’ve seen it!
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