Nobody does existential suffering quite like the French and in Francois Ozon's 5x2 he dissects the marriage of a couple, Marion (Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi) and Gilles (Stephane Freiss) in five distinct stages. The film starts with Gilles and Marion signing their divorce papers and Ozon uses this basis to work backwards in the couple's relationship, picking out defining moments in their union - from their first meeting to infidelities - which is, as we already know, destined to fail.
A talented director, Ozon never sells his characters short by attempting to offer obvious reasons for their marriage disintegration, allowing the audience to make up their own minds. Although the characters aren't always the most likable, and their motivations seem a little murky if the sections are viewed independently, a sense of continuity is articulated in the relationship's pivotal moments, which veer between light-hearted, almost throwaway, comedy and a bleak depression. Ozon's reluctance to commit directly may infuriate some, while his deliberately obtrusive structure doesn't make 5x2 the easiest film to get a hold of, but this is still an intriguing portrait of the breakdown of a modern love.
