Review of The Woman in the Fifth (2011) by Saad K — 23 Jun 2012

"The Woman in the Fifth" starts with Tom Ricks(Ethan Hawke), a university professor and one-time author, traveling to Paris to visit his six-year old daughter Chloe(Julie Papillon). Except his very estranged wife Nathalie(Delphine Chuillot) wants nothing to do with him, citing an exclusion order to call the police on him. Luckily, he escapes cleanly but is later thoroughly robbed on a bus, except for his passport and a stuffed giraffe intended for his daughter. Instead of going to the American embassy, Tom ends up at a flophouse where he cuts a deal with its manager, Sezer(Samir Guesmi), to keep watch from 10 pm to 4 am every night for 50 euros a night. This also gives Tom enough time to stalk his daughter, write and visit Margit(Kristin Scott Thomas), an interpreter.

As a psychological drama, "The Woman in the Fifth" is decent enough by hinting more often than not. And it takes a chance by having a lead character rarely off screen who is unstable. This is in a Paris, absent of its usual landmarks in favor of graffiti, that consumes people whole from other countries, like Ania(Joanna Kulig), from Poland. Otherwise, there is not that much of a story, as the movie has a way of going around in circles before a plot twist that is so off the wall, considering the circumstances, that is past doozy into WTF territory. At the same time, it does sort of eventually fit in with rest of the movie's themes.