The couple meets at the end of the film.

I finished viewing 5×2 by François Ozon this afternoon. It stars Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, the sister of singer/model Carla Bruni who also starred in the 2005 Ozon Time to Leave. Like Irréversible and Memento before it, 5×2 is an experiment in cinematic time since it is executed in reverse chronological order. The story concerns a couple; it opens with their divorce and moves in five scenes (Scenes from a Marriage by Bergman in reverse) towards — making halt at their marriage — their idyllic meeting pictured above. Ozon describes the quiddity of life, sex and relationships with an odd and compelling detachment.

This is a pensive film essay of which the highlights include the absence of the father during the birth of their son; the joyous dancing and later the romantic/forced encounter on their wedding night; the after-the-break-up-sex-scene; the beautifully rolled spliff and the birth of romantic love.

Ozon’s campish tastes in music (remember Cher’s ‘Bang Bang‘ (and here) in his short A Summer Dress; this scene from Gouttes d’eau sur pierres brûlantes; this scene from Sitcom and the dance scene from Swimming Pool) find full expression in the songs by Italian crooners which separates each sequence and Paolo Conte’s theme song “Sparring Partner”, featured in this YouTube remix of the film.

P. S. Just look how beautifully rolled this spliff is.