Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- paranoid
- claustrophobic
- late night viewing
- rainy day
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film atmospheric and intriguingly ambiguous but uneven in its storytelling and execution.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Tom's encounters with Margit and the inexplicable events surrounding their relationship resist a single clear interpretation.
The suburban hotel, night-watch job, and hostile Parisian margins create a sustained atmosphere of alienation and menace.
Tom's passionate relationship with the mysterious Margit intensifies his vulnerability and appears to place his life under an obscure influence.
The narrative emphasizes suburban lodging, night work, and dislocated urban surroundings rather than familiar tourist Paris.
Films like The Woman in the Fifth, and why
Enemy
psychological ambiguity, alienated protagonist, and dreamlike urban mystery
The Machinist
paranoid atmosphere, unstable reality, and nocturnal psychological tension
Possession
romantic obsession, ambiguous supernatural suggestion, and melancholic european atmosphere
Movie Details
- Director
- Paweł Pawlikowski
- Release Date
- 2011-09-11
- Runtime
- 84 min
- Rating
- 5.2 / 10 (123)
Cast
- Ethan Hawke
- Kristin Scott Thomas
- Joanna Kulig
- Samir Guesmi
- Delphine Chuillot
- Julie Papillon
- Geoffrey Carey
- Mamadou Minte
- Mohamed Aroussi
- Jean-Louis Cassarino
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Philo, Fandor, MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Fandor Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Woman in the Fifth about?
- An estranged American novelist in Paris finds precarious hope in a mysterious affair that bends his damaged life toward psychological and possibly supernatural terror.
- What is The Woman in the Fifth like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Woman in the Fifth as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Woman in the Fifth violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Woman in the Fifth as mild.
- What did critics think of The Woman in the Fifth?
- Critics broadly found the film atmospheric and intriguingly ambiguous but uneven in its storytelling and execution.
- Which films are like The Woman in the Fifth?
- Films with a similar feel include Enemy, The Machinist, and Possession.
- How long is The Woman in the Fifth?
- The Woman in the Fifth runs 84 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Woman in the Fifth?
- In United States, The Woman in the Fifth streams on Amazon Prime Video, Philo, Fandor, MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Fandor Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
