Going into the cinema, I had high expectations for 5x2. The reviews were glowing, the plot and structure sounded intriguing, and I have a genuine love of French cinema.
I came out hugely disappointed.
(Mistakenly?) I had hoped to see a film which showed some feeling and insight into the tragic decline and ultimate disintegration of a marriage and relationship between two people. And yes, while it's true that we do witness various stages of a marriage falling apart, what we don't ever see is any kind of meaningful relationship or feelings between any of the characters in the film. They are all so self-centered and one dimensional that it's a mystery that any of them are actually in a relationship in the first place. And it's even harder to care what happens/happened to them.
There's a few attempts to give the film some edge - a couple of "she's being raped... oh, actually she's enjoying it" scenes that give misogyny a bad name and a supposedly shocking tale of a mixed hetero/homo orgy complete with (gasp!) poppers and cocaine - but ultimately the whole experience is a grey, limp and lifeless one.
The introduction of an analogy to seemingly still waters hiding dangerous currents beneath is truly groan worthy, and a special mention has to go the American character that appears midway through the film - his presence is memorable despite its brevity by being one the most toe curlingly wooden performances I have ever seen.
In the end 5x2 left me depressed. Depressed at the thought that anyone could relate to the so-called marriage that is central to this film and its cold, insular world.
I came out hugely disappointed.
(Mistakenly?) I had hoped to see a film which showed some feeling and insight into the tragic decline and ultimate disintegration of a marriage and relationship between two people. And yes, while it's true that we do witness various stages of a marriage falling apart, what we don't ever see is any kind of meaningful relationship or feelings between any of the characters in the film. They are all so self-centered and one dimensional that it's a mystery that any of them are actually in a relationship in the first place. And it's even harder to care what happens/happened to them.
There's a few attempts to give the film some edge - a couple of "she's being raped... oh, actually she's enjoying it" scenes that give misogyny a bad name and a supposedly shocking tale of a mixed hetero/homo orgy complete with (gasp!) poppers and cocaine - but ultimately the whole experience is a grey, limp and lifeless one.
The introduction of an analogy to seemingly still waters hiding dangerous currents beneath is truly groan worthy, and a special mention has to go the American character that appears midway through the film - his presence is memorable despite its brevity by being one the most toe curlingly wooden performances I have ever seen.
In the end 5x2 left me depressed. Depressed at the thought that anyone could relate to the so-called marriage that is central to this film and its cold, insular world.