5x2 & Time to Leave (Le Temps qui reste)

FLICK My initial reaction to watching a François Ozon film is how simplistic it seems, but his movies tend to stay with me and upon reflection, I respond to them more over time, finding a vast depth in the characters and their stories. Tonight, Sundance Channel is airing two films written and directed by Ozon back-to-back beginning at 10pm.

5x2 follows French couple Marion (Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi) and Gilles (Stéphane Freiss) in five different periods of their unhappy marriage. The film begins at the end of their doomed relationship and ends at the beginning, which lets the viewer leave on a lighter note, only to ponder how this mismatched couple stayed together for so long. Ozon uses the reverse structure to add mystery though there is no defining moment of where things go wrong. Bruni-Tedeschi and Freiss turn in absorbing performances and are completely credible in this heart wrenching portrait. (2004) My Score: 8 out of 10.

Time to Leave (Le Temps qui reste) is not a perfect film; however I was again won over by filmmaker Ozon’s style and tone. Romain (Melvil Poupaud), a fashion photographer with a hot boyfriend, is told he has brain cancer, refuses treatment and goes on nasty tirades hurting those closest to him, including his sister and her children. The only person he confides in is his grandmother, French icon Jeanne Moreau, knowing she’s going to die soon too. Romain continues to create social distance until he later develops an unusual relationship with a waitress, played by Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi (5x2, Côte d’Azur) which initially seems selfish but ultimately satisfies them both. The handsome Poupaud (who plays another unlikable Frenchman in the Merchant-Ivory film Le Divorce) is very engaging as the unsympathetic character and easily handles the extremes and subtleties of dealing with certain death. His outbursts are what keep the film from becoming overly sentimental. Ozon may not provide reasons for Romain’s offensive behavior but he excels in creating mood, which is what takes us to the inevitable end. The title’s literal translation is "The Time That's Left." This is supposedly the second in a trilogy (Under the Sand being the first) about mourning or death. (2005) My Score 7.5 out of 10.