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5 X 2 Send This Review to a Friend
The conceit of the new French import “5 X 2” is that the story of a relationship is told backwards, starting from the breakup and giving us five retroactive sequences until we wind up where the couple meet. The idea isn’t new. Harold Pinter, for example, has also done it in a play, and recall the film “Memento.” Backwards or forwards, while director François Ozon is skillful, and so are the actors, the characters are not all that interesting, rendering the total result is rather hollow.
The film’s strongest point is the casting of Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi as Marion. She is fascinating to watch. There is something about her that bears out what cinema observers say about the camera liking certain performers and bringing out the best in them.
The film falters early in the credibility department with the couple going to a hotel room after settling the divorce, an odd and not quite believable thing to do. When Marion decides the idea of a last sexual encounter isn’t that good and resists, the scene turns into an ugly one of Giles (Stéphane Freiss) taking her by force.
The story works backwards from there, step by step, characterizing the way stations of their liaison. It is certainly interesting, mainly because of the storytelling method, which one grasps quickly after, perhaps, some initial confusion, depending upon what you have heard in advance.
But how you respond will also depend on how much you can become involved with Marion and Giles and their behavior. Would Giles really be so worried about fatherhood that he would stay away from the hospital when Marion gives birth? Because he falls asleep on their wedding night, would she be likely to have sex with a stranger that same night? How would you judge him? How would you judge her?
Are these two worth spending time with? Ozon, who directed the far more fascinating “Swimming Pool,” evidently thinks so, having co-authored the screenplay with Emmanuèle Bernheim, and applied his directorial expertise to telling the story. Of course, there is Bruni-Tedeschi. And Freiss is an interesting actor too. A THINKFilm release.
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