5x2 (5 x 2: Five Times Two) (2004)
Average Rating: 6.2/10
Reviews Counted: 68
Fresh: 44 | Rotten: 24
Five scenes from a marriage, deftly and poignantly presented.
Average Rating: 6.1/10
Critic Reviews: 21
Fresh: 13 | Rotten: 8
Five scenes from a marriage, deftly and poignantly presented.
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Average Rating: 3.6/5
User Ratings: 5,384
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Movie Info
The rise and fall of one couple's marriage goes under the microscope in this drama from French filmmaker François Ozon. Gilles (Stephane Freis) and Marion (Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi) have filed for divorce following several years of marriage, and after the judge declares their union is over, the film follows the couple through five lengthy flashbacks, presented in reverse chronological order, in which glimpses of their lives together are shown, ending with the couple meeting for the first time. As
Cast
-
Valeria Bruni Tedeschi
Marion -
Stephane Freiss
Gilles -
Geraldine Pailhas
Valerie -
Francoise Fabian
Monique -
Michel Lonsdale
Bernard -
Antoine Chappey
Christophe -
Marc Ruchmann
Mathieu -
Jason Tavassoli
American man -
Jean-Pol Brissart
Judge
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All Critics (74) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (45) | Rotten (24) | DVD (10)
A cool, sometimes chilly dissection of one couple's relationship.
Top CriticGilles and Marion may be more than the sum of their regrets, but because their creator hasn't done the math, they remain touching stick figures.
Stripping away the extraneous details that etch great screen characters in our minds forever, Mr. Ozon pinpoints key moments in the life of a pair of married Parisians that leave the viewer paralyzed with boredom and confusion.
Ozon, as he's shown in his many recent films (particularly Under the Sand), knows a thing or two about love and loss; 5x2 achingly demonstrates both.
Unwinds with absolute clarity and sure style, and Freiss and Bruni-Tedeschi make an interesting couple, if not a truly memorable one.
Neither Marion, with her melancholy stares, nor Gilles, with his detachment and his cigarettes, appears more than a character sketch.
The acting of both leads is good, at times more than that, but you feel that you've already seen every scene they're in, in countless other movies.
It ends where the story begins at an Italian seaside resort as the couple happily swim off together into the sunset at their first encounter.
Deconstructing the breakup of a romance in reverse chronological order is no longer original; Pinter has done it in "Betrayal."
Ozon has a studied, contemplative style at work here.
Peeling off the emotional layers one by one, François Ozon's 5 X 2 reveals intimate snapshots of a relationship, simply but searingly.
(...) Es de esas películas que vale quizá más por las reflexiones y debates que dispara entre las personas que como pieza cinematográfica en sí misma.
The soulful Bruni-Tedeschi gives the impression that her beautiful face is bruised, even though it is blemish free; it's one of the best performances of the year.
Even while we're flipping through the snapshots of two people's ultimate disenchantment with each other, it never feels tawdry or excessive or, for that matter, very interesting.
We watch Marion and Gilles with a sort of clinical detachment, and it's difficult to really care.
Doesn't feel like a gimmick at all. It feels like a natural introduction to the characters.
Bruni-Tedeschi and Freiss give solid performances, though, and their physical transformations over time (a slight weight gain for her, facial hair for him) are convincing.
The reverse-chronology gimmick ends up only serving up a trite observation that lies and mistrust are a poor foundation for a marriage.
Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi's character is the one to watch throughout the film, as it is in her demeanor that we learn all the answers -- or all the questions, anyway.
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Foreign Titles
- 5x2 (Cinq Fois Deux) (DE)
- 5 X 2: Cinq Fois Deux - Five Times Two (UK)
