Instead of asking "will they end up together" Francois Ozon's latest asks "how did they end up apart?" Many comparisons have been made to Memento, but I think the narrative device is closer to Irreversible, another at-times-unwatchable French film. In Irreversible the rape scene is in the the middle, here it is at the beginning. Both films end (begin) with the couple in paradise. However, in 5 x 2, the cruelty is much more emotional than physical. Some critics have dismissed the backward storytelling as a gimmick, but I would argue Ozon does it to play with the audience's expectations, specifically the desire to assign blame to one or the other party. Most relationships, of course, are both, but we are conditioned to choose sides. Who cheats first? Who really cares? The end result is the same, and without knowing all the information who's to say cheating is bad. The order of the scenes is also closest to the way actual memory works, with the most-recent events taking precedence over older memories. It seems the device also works to stimulate a viewer's imagination to fill in the narrative blanks. Is the opening sex scene anal rape? Was Gilles making up the story about the orgy? Is the child the American's? Did Marion go to the spa expressly to meet Gilles? Will they get back together? These are some of the questions that have been interpreted different ways, much like the ending to Ozon's Swimming Pool. The way you answer probably has much to say about your outlook on relationships. The romantic would say it was coincidence they vacationed together, that Marion was perfect for him and that their wedding was a fairytale, except for the American who practically raped Marion. Gilles stayed away from the hospital because, like all men (including Marion's father), he was squeamish and unsure, He did apologize and showed his love for the boy in a later scene. The couple had troubles and sure, they divorced, but they obviously still love each other since they were willing to have sex one last time. The cynic might say Marion went to the spa to steal Gilles away from his girlfriend. Then on the happiest night of her life, she was so selfish she snuck away to cheat on him. The reason he stayed away from the hospital is because the baby was the American's, and the only reason he loved the child was to use him as a pawn to get back at her. They divorced, and he used the occasion to rape her. Any way you look at it, the story stays with you and brings up important questions about fidelity, repression and the institution of marriage. Very brave performances by the leads, who were not afraid to show the ugliness of life.
Review of Five Times Two
