It begins with a peculiar scene in which the couple - Marion [Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi] and Gilles [Stéphane Freiss] - sign the divorce papers and then go to a hotel room together to have sex. From this start you know that their relationship is not typical. Scene two involves a dinner party where a conversation reveals that Gilles has not been faithful to Marion. Scene three shows the birth of their son and the peculiar reaction by Gilles. Scene four is their wedding night, which doesn't go exactly according to plan and scene five is how they meet.

As far as film narratives are concerned Memento started the trend of having a film start at the end and go back to show us what happened in the beginning - albeit with a killer hook. The French film Irreversible too used the same technique with a much harsher end. But 5x2 is a film that does not involve a mystery or any revelations. Instead it is about the way that two people's lives come together and fall apart.

Filmmaker François Ozon always has subtle psychological undercurrents in his films, which clue us into the character's motivations. Here he applies the same approach and in doing so he chooses to avoid big drama or predictable scenes and instead presents us with five scenes that paint a portrait of an inevitable broken relationship.

Ozon gets great performances from the lead actors. Freiss is aloof with rather selfish motivations but he seems to be a product of his father who we see in a couple scenes. Bruni-Tedeschi seems hopeful but is clinging onto a relationship she know won't last. With each passing scene a little more vulnerability, decietfulness and disappointment is added to their lives and by the time scene five roles around it is obvious that these two were not meant for each other.

Video:
The DVD is presented in 1.85:1 and looks good and clean. The US DVD apparantly shows some ghosting affects due to the fact that it was transfered from a PAL Disc. This one looks good to me and other than some edge enhancement is fine. The colors and contrasts are good especially in the outdoor scenes.

Audio:
Audio is in 5.1 French Dolby surround. The film has a good soundtrack with some cool French musicians, which are used as source sound in the film and are also used on the various chapter selection movies.

Extras:
This is the Canadian DVD so the extras are different than the US DVD. There is an Audio commentary by director Ozon but it is in French with no subtitles. There are 17 minutes of deleted scenes all of which don't add much to the story but would have given the film a different tone. There is a Making of documentary that runs 15 minutes and is really just an on-set video that shows the director and the cinematographer setting up, rehearsing and shooting the wedding party scene. It is interesting but not too revealing of anything except how camera crews work. There is also a short audition and lighting tests with the two actors standing and laughing for a minute while different styles of light are shed upon them. Their is a choice of English or French menus.

Overall: 5x2 is a very good French film about a couple the divorce of a couple to the beginning of their relationship. The DVD has good extras although the commentary track is only in French with no subtitles. The film itself is memorable and it stays with you therefore it is highly recommended.