The Woman in the Fifth

Name: The Woman in the Fifth
Genre: Thriller
Released: June 15, 2012
Duration: 85 min
Rating: 57
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Kristin Scott Thomas

2012

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Mixed or average reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews

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Mixed or average reviews based on 7 Ratings

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4.0	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 7 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

ATO Pictures | Release Date: June 15, 2012 | R

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Kristin Scott Thomas

Summary: Struggling American writer Tom Ricks travels to Paris to be reunited with his estranged wife and daughter but soon finds himself embroiled in the city's seedy underside and seduced by a mysterious woman who may not be everything she appears to be...(Film4)

Director: Pawel Pawlikowski

Genre(s): Thriller

Rating: R

Runtime: 85 min

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Critic Reviews

Roger Ebert

Jun 20, 2012

Tom has enlisted our identification and sympathy, but he seems hopelessly isolated within his own bubble of despair. How much that happens is in his mind? Read full review

Mick LaSalle

Jun 14, 2012

This movie is not recommended for people who need to know what's going on. The Woman in the Fifth, an English and French language film from the Polish director Pawel Pawlikowski, is watchable and enjoyable, but it's fairly impenetrable, and it gets more peculiar as it goes along. Read full review

Manohla Dargis

Jun 14, 2012

Although Mr. Pawlikowski often shows Mr. Hawke in medium and long shots, the actor draws you close. There's anguish in Tom's face that speaks of a terrible fragility and that leavens the story's mysterioso proceedings with a real, recognizable humanity. Read full review

The Guardian Peter Bradshaw

Jun 13, 2012

This film has to be indulged a little, and you'll have to negotiate the stumbling block that is Hawke's stodgy, dodgy French accent. Read full review

Michael Atkinson

Jun 13, 2012

You're not sure what this is till it's over, but certainly Hawke's performance is his nerviest and most sincere in a decade. Read full review

Scott Tobias

Jun 13, 2012

In spite of his considerable intelligence and cinematic gifts, Pawlikowski isn't Roman Polanski, so the delusions and psychosis of his put-upon lead character doesn't have the right intensity. Fifth feels like a literary bauble, chipped by imperfections. Read full review

Ann Hornaday

Jun 14, 2012

It's a curio, ripe with dreamy atmospherics and intriguing mysteries, but little else. Read full review

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User Reviews

JLuis_001

Jul 20, 2022

I like puzzles and The Woman in the Fifth poses a rather interesting, if not really complex one, yet its director, Paweł Pawlikowski expects you to do most of the work while he hides his move and never really reveals it.

From the beginning and before reaching the halfway point, this filmI like puzzles and The Woman in the Fifth poses a rather interesting, if not really complex one, yet its director, Paweł Pawlikowski expects you to do most of the work while he hides his move and never really reveals it.

From the beginning and before reaching the halfway point, this film has shown several paths it could have taken, but the main idea seems more interested in focusing on confusing than explaining.

Clearly there's more to the background of the events unfolding on screen, but it all rests on Ethan Hawke's character and the questions pile up one after the other. A lot of things are hinted at, but most of the time you're gonna have to play the guessing game.

As I said, I liked the enigma, but it needed more than just what I could imagine.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

NickTheCritick

Nov 3, 2022

Tom Ricks, a 40-year-old American writer, arrives in Paris hoping to reconnect with his daughter, but nothing goes as planned. Housed in a shabby hotel, he finds himself forced to work as a night porter. While he thinks he has hit rock bottom, Margit, a sensual and mysterious English woman,Tom Ricks, a 40-year-old American writer, arrives in Paris hoping to reconnect with his daughter, but nothing goes as planned. Housed in a shabby hotel, he finds himself forced to work as a night porter. While he thinks he has hit rock bottom, Margit, a sensual and mysterious English woman, bursts into his life. The two start a relationship but Margit imposes strict rules: she does not have to ask her any questions and will only be able to see her twice a week.
Pawlikowski's worst movie. The beauty of the shots that usually dominate in the Polish director's films is lacking here and the film makes you fall asleep.… Expand

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