by Frank Calvillo
Fandor Files
Welcome to the Fandor Files, a six-part monthly series featuring the best from Fandor.com, one of today’s top streaming sites showcasing the best of classic titles, independent films, and insightful documentaries. Each month, we’ll take a look at a pair of selections linked by a common thread, illustrating important parts of history and society.
For the second edition of the Fandor Files, we are looking at women who have spent their lives honing their feminine ways to gain the attention and trust of all those they encounter. The first is the Parisian widow of a famous European author who romances a man at his lowest point. The second is a real-life grandmother who spent decades as one of America’s most infamous jewel thieves. In both cases, the two women spotlighted in this month’s films have mastered the art of manipulation through skillful precision and beguiling charm in ways very few ever could.
In this Paris-set thriller, an American author named Tom Ricks (Ethan Hawke) returns to Paris to reconnect with his young daughter after a stint in a mental institution. Upon arriving, he is turned away by his estranged wife (Delphine Chuillot) and finds his luggage has been stolen. Upon being invited to a party full of literary types, he meets Margit (Kristin Scott Thomas), the wife of a dead author, who immediately catches Tom’s eye. The two soon begin a passionate, yet dangerous affair, which has profoundly sinister and psychological effects on the incredibly vulnerable Tom.
The Woman in the Fifth is the very definition of a haunting film experience. Every moment of the film is loaded with an eerie air of romantic mystery that’s so incredibly compelling. A number of side elements, such as the true business of Tom’s employer and the specific details of the main character’s past, greatly add to the quiet, nuanced suspense, but it’s all about the mysterious woman the author meets and her subtle, yet firm hold on him. Although Tom is the main character, all eyes are on Margit whenever she is on the screen. The character carries such a combination of complexity and sensuality that it becomes all but impossible to turn away from her. By the film’s end it’s difficult to decipher the kind of existence Margit is actually inhabiting due to the immense ethereal quality she possesses and the way she is able to bend Tom to her safe, yet deceptively controlling arms. This is Hawke’s show all the way, no doubt about it, but he simply ceases to exist once Scott Thomas enters the frame in one of the most memorable roles of her career.
The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne
One of the most compelling documentaries of last year has everything to do with one of the most fascinating women as its subject. The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne explores the history of 80-year-old Doris Payne, whose early obsession with jewelry led to a decades-long career as one of the country’s most notorious jewel thieves. Through re-enactments and candid interviews, the audience takes an unforgettable look at one of the most cunning, devious, and oddly endearing criminal masterminds who ever lived.
The story of Doris Payne is so unbelievable it would almost certainly have to be true. Real-life crime documentaries are always fascinating to watch, yet none leave quite the imprint that this one does. Hearing Doris talk about how she fell so madly in love with jewels that she would devote her entire life to acquiring them any way she could, and watching her simply state that she has no regrets, is only the tip of the iceberg here. It’s impossible not to be taken aback as the cameras follow Doris and watch her spin her routine at local jewelry stores as the court date for her latest offense approaches. I defy anyone to not be simply wowed by this woman who uses the guise of a kindly grandmother to perform some decidedly cunning sleight-of-hand trickery that even the most brazen of robbers wouldn’t dare attempt. Even though there are very few redeeming features about Doris (at one point she even tries to use the filmmakers as an alibi for her probation officer), there’s something about this thieving grandmother that almost makes you want to root for her.
