5x2
Metascore
62 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
view
per page
  1. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: Sean Axmaker
    100
    Ozon's greatest special effect is holding the camera in tight on the faces of Bruni-Tedeschi (one of the most expressive faces in French cinema) and Freiss.
  2. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: M. E. Russell
    91
    A sort of anti-date movie, a smart but deeply cynical study in failure, with our sense of loss growing in direct proportion to the characters' romantic hopes.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.0 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 12 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 8
  3. Negative: 1 out of 8
  1. ChadS.
    6
    Giles (Stephane Freiss) and Marion(Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) sign their divorce papers, then they adjourn to a hotel room for some afternoon delight. What is this? "Au revoir" sex? No. "5x2" is telling their story in reverse, and if this narrative device dredges up bad memories of Monica Belluci's anguished screams on a desolate subway platform; relax, Francois Ozon's follow-up to "The Swimming Pool" is closer to "Betrayal" (written by Harold Pinter) than Gaspar Noe's "Irreversible". This disillusioned Parisian couple can't move on because quantum physics is making them relive their personal hell... and heaven. "5X2" is a real downer, however, self-consciously so; every momentous occasion in their married life (the wedding night, the birth of their child) is marred by Gilles' perplexing behavior. In the gaps, their ongoing life that goes unexamined by the camera eye within the fade-outs between every sour vignette aren't nearly as enigmatic as they should be, since the devil in their holy matrimony tells us all we need to know about their marital trajectory before each narrative wormhole snakes into the doomed couple's past. "5X2" is well-acted, nicely photographed, but kind of pointless.… Full Review »
  2. AaronA.
    8
    Ambitious, superbly acted, imperfect. Recommended.
  3. GeorgeG.
    9
    This compelling dissection of a marriage gone bad offers superb acting and sublime directing. Viewers who don´t like it obviously are dead in the brain and between their legs.… Full Review »
See all user reviews »