Fridae

Any queer who appreciates art films would know the name Francois
Ozon. The openly gay and deliciously handsome director from France
is loved by film festival audiences everywhere for his intimate,
provocative films like Swimming Pool and Under The
Sand.

With their homoerotic overtones, a few of his films like Criminal
Lovers and Water Drops On Burning Rocks have also
been huge hits with the pink crowd.

Francois is back with 5 x 2 (that's pronounced "five
by two" and not "five times two" or, God forbid, "five ex two"),
a sharply-observed portrait of a marital breakdown.

The ingenious film begins with the divorce of a couple, and subsequently
moves backwards to show five key episodes of the couple's lives
including the birth of a child, the wedding and the first time they
met.

What the film beautifully reveals is that every relationship —
no matter how perfect it may seem — starts off with a few
tiny problems which the lovers initially can't see. But these problems
grow over time until they become unbearable.

5 x 2 is distributed by gay-friendly movie house Festive
Films, which had brought terrific art gem like Ozon's Swimming
Pool and the Korean hard-hitter Old Boy. It also tried
to bring in Lan Yu and Formula 17, but wasn't
allowed to. We look forward to its upcoming offering The Sea
Inside, by gay Spanish director Alejandro Amenabar.