5 x 2

France – Dir: Francois Ozon – 3/5
(This is the review I did when I saw the film at the 2005 Sydney Film Festival.)

This is a clinical look at love, marriage & divorce. It is interesting to see the technicality of a divorce that seemed amicable & equal. Also the text of thee civil wedding vows is quite significant (but alas I cannot recall them now).

After a couple divorce they go to hotel to go straight to bed together. I was surprised, but I’m told this is not unusual. Part way through the ex-wife changes her mind & doesn't want to have sex. It turns into quite brutal rape! This is very disturbing, and makes me realise that people’s sexuality is often very complicated.

There’s a scene where Gilles talks about infidelity, and suddenly the film turns into Big Brother!

The film has great, unusual music.

Whenever the wife has sex it is forced or the husband is absent or asleep.  They get the key to room 213 (which is the same as the clause of wedding code).

I guess the film is telling us that sex & marriage are 2 different things. Then there is the fact that we see the film backwards.  This has been criticised by some who feel that the film would not have been interesting if it had been shown in correct chronological order.  But I don’t agree.  By showing it in the wrong order we notice different things.  So the film is about all things that people don't notice in a relationship. So we can see that the husband stayed a cipher. He was absent during all the key phases. Even the divorce.

There’s an incredibly beautiful last scene with the setting sun: 'Shall we take a swim?’ And they lived happily ever before. Suddenly the poignancy rushes over you, and you get it!