Synopsis
An American writer moves to Paris to be closer to his daughter and finds himself falling immediately on hard times.
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Cast
- Ethan HawkeTom Ricks
- Kristin Scott ThomasMargit
- Joanna KuligAnia
- Samir GuesmiSezer
- Delphine ChuillotNathalie
- Julie PapillonChloé
- Geoffrey CareyLaurent
- Mamadou MinteOmar
- Mohamed AroussiMoussa
- Jean-Louis CassarinoDumont
- 75
Slant Magazine
Pawlikowski has crafted a film that throbs with substantial personal weight and bristles with a violent, haunting interior life. - 70
Time
Accepting Pawlikowski's mood of poetic seriousness may be a chore for some. Others will find this creepy little sonata a dream or nightmare worth succumbing to, and believing in. - 67
Entertainment Weekly
Heavy on mood and murk. - 60
Empire
An ambitious thriller from Pawlikowski assisted by excellent performances from Hawke, Kulig and Scott Thomas. - 60
The Guardian
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. - 60
Total Film
Contrived attempts to 'explain' the film's many mysteries ultimately disappoint. - 60
Village Voice
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. - 50
The A.V. Club
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.