La femme du Vème (2011)

A college lecturer flees to Paris after a scandal costs him his job. In the City of Light, he meets a widow who might be involved in a series of murders.

Director:

Pawel Pawlikowski

Writers:

Douglas Kennedy (novel), Pawel Pawlikowski (screenplay)

Stars:

Ethan Hawke, Kristin Scott Thomas, Joanna Kulig

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ethan Hawke	...	Tom Ricks
Kristin Scott Thomas	...	Margit
Joanna Kulig	...	Ania
Samir Guesmi	...	Sezer
Delphine Chuillot	...	Nathalie
Julie Papillon	...	Chloé
Geoffrey Carey	...	Laurent
Mamadou Minte	...	Omar
Mohamed Aroussi	...	Moussa
Jean-Louis Cassarino	...	Dumont
Judith Burnett	...	Lorraine L'herbert
Marcela Iacub	...	Isabella
Wilfred Benaïche	...	Lieutenand Coutard
Pierre Marcoux	...	Lawyer
Rosine Favey	...	Lawyer's Translator

Storyline

American writer Tom Ricks comes to Paris desperate to put his life together again and win back the love of his estranged wife and daughter. When things don't go according to plan, he ends up in a shady hotel in the suburbs, having to work as a night guard to make ends meet. Then Margit, a beautiful, mysterious stranger walks into his life and things start looking up. Their passionate and intense relationship triggers a string of inexplicable events... as if an obscure power was taking control of his life.

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Plot Keywords:

writer | widow | neighbor | hand job | letter | 

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Taglines:

What you can not resist, you may not survive

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexual content, language and violent images

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

France Poland UK

Language:

English French Polish

Release Date:

16 November 2011 (France)

Also Known As:

The Woman in the Fifth

Filming Locations:

Boulevard Periere 142, Paris, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$33,011 (USA) (15 June 2012)

Gross:

$112,498 (USA) (13 July 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Haut et Court, Film4, UK Film Council

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in The Big Picture: February 2012 (2012)

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Soundtracks

"Tomaszów"
Written by Julian Tuwim
Performed bz Ewa Demarczyk

User Reviews

Moments of brilliance in another Paris

A phenomenally ambitious, mostly successful film that (almost) atones for the cardinal sin that was Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris. It says so much about cinema audiences that Midnight in Paris was so popular. Here's a film that is startlingly beautiful, utterly intriguing and perfectly cast, and with a drop dead gorgeous soundtrack. The result? A lot of very angry people because... it didn't make sense. No-one mentions that the "Midnight" script had holes you could drive a truck through, because they had a good time. Wake up, people! You're getting the cinema you deserve and it ain't pretty. Or maybe it is. How about Mark Wahlberg and a teddy bear? There you go. That works. Don't blame Hollywood (where I live and work). You're voting with your wallets. Films like The Woman in the Fifth that need intellectual and emotional input from its audience are being stoned to death. The world's becoming a Disney theme park and you're all accessories after the fact. If you think that the word "consumer" is an insult, there's still hope. Take a moment. Watch this film. It isn't perfect. The balance between physical and metaphysical is off and therein lies the confusion. Kieslowski (another obvious comparison) would have handled it better but he wasn't hampered by a literary source when he made La Double Vie. But... it's fKKKing gorgeous. Difficult, challenging, flawed? Yes, but I'll take it over the processed pap that is the American mainstream anytime.