Mockingbird Pictures and Demarest Films
5 TO 7
A Film by Victor Levin
TFF Public Screenings
Saturday, April 19th at 6:30pm – SVA Theater 1 (333 W. 23rd St, btwn 8th and 9th) WORLD PREMIERE
Sunday, April 20th at 12:00pm – Bow Tie Cinemas 7 (260 W. 23rd St, btwn 7th and 8th) P&I SCREENING
Monday, April 21st at 4:00pm – AMC Village VII 2 (66 Third Ave at 11th St)
Thursday, April 24th at 5:30pm – SVA Theater 2 (333 W. 23rd St, btwn 8th and 9th)
http://tribecafilm.com/filmguide/53208a57c07f5df7d20004fe-5-to-7
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“5 to 7” Press Notes p. 1
CAST AND CREW
Brian
Arielle
Valéry
Jane
Sam
Arlene
ANTON YELCHIN
BÉRÉNICE MARLOHE
LAMBERT WILSON
OLIVIA THIRLBY
FRANK LANGELLA
GLENN CLOSE
Director/Writer VICTOR LEVIN
Producers JULIE LYNN
BONNIE CURTIS
SAM ENGLEBARDT
WILLIAM D. JOHNSON
Director of Photography ARNAUD POTIER
Production Designer JEANNINE OPPEWALL
Costume Designer HEIDI BIVENS
Editor MATT MADDOX
Music Composers DANNY BENSI
SAUNDER JURRIAANS
“5 to 7” Press Notes p. 2
SYNOPSIS
Brian (Anton Yelchin), a talented young writer, meets the beautiful, intriguing Arielle (Bérénice
Marlohe) over a cigarette outside the Manhattan St. Regis. She’s older than he, married, French,
and the mother of two. “You can stop that sentence anywhere along the way,” Brian’s father tells
him, “and have reason enough not to be in the relationship.” But neither party can resist the
other, and, against his better judgment -- he was raised right -- they begin a cinq-a-sept affair.
Before long, Brian has broken every rule he ever had for himself. And he’s never been happier.
Amid the comedy of the clash of cultures, world views, personal ethics and dietary preferences,
peppered by the surprising reactions of those around them, Brian and Arielle fall more and more
deeply in love. But, while the hours of 5 to 7 each day may suit Arielle perfectly, Brian begins to
hunger for more. Soon, they must face the most important decision of their lives.
We don’t choose love, it chooses us. The question is how hard we’re willing to fight for it when
there are a thousand reasons to let go. In 5 to 7, the remarkable answer is equal parts romance,
laughter and tears.
“5 to 7” Press Notes p. 3
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
It’s a story at least as old as cinema itself: an earnest young man, a refined older woman, a love
that’s nearly perfect in its self-containment—and deeply poignant in its fragility. In his feature
debut, writer-director Victor Levin (Mad Men) breathes new vitality into this archetypal
romance, and in so doing reminds us of how funny, how tender, and how richly satisfying a great
love story can be. With a cast that unites rising stars from both sides of the Atlantic with some of
the most acclaimed actors to have graced the screen, 5 to 7 is the kind of romantic comedy that
Hollywood has all but forgotten how to make: witty yet wise, both sophisticated and instantly
accessible, and above all, true to what it means to fall in love, to grow up, to be human. The film
stars Anton Yelchin (Star Trek) and Bérénice Marlohe (Skyfall) as its central couple, while
rounding out its cast with such talents as Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs), Frank Langella
(Frost/Nixon), Olivia Thirlby (Juno), Lambert Wilson (Suite Française) and Eric Stoltz (Out of
Order).
LOVE IN BLOOM
We all know someone like Brian Bloom (Anton Yelchin)—maybe we’ve even been Brian
ourselves. A young man trying to find his voice as a writer (a wall of rejection letters testifies to
the struggle), Brian is decent, sweet and idealistic, but with no sense of how to translate those
virtues or his meager life experiences into compelling literature. Most of us probably don’t
know someone like Arielle (Bérénice Marlohe)—French, 9 years Brian’s senior, a former
fashion model and a woman of the world who despite (or perhaps because of) her tremendous
continental sophistication remains unaware of the depths of her own heart. A chance encounter
over a cigarette outside New York’s St. Regis Hotel sparks an unlikely flirtation and an
invitation to meet again; Arielle tells Brian she is available to see him any weekday between the
hours of 5:00 and 7:00p.m. During a stroll along 5th Avenue, Arielle shocks Brian’s American
sensibilities. Notwithstanding their flirtation and evident mutual attraction, she reveals that she is
married to a French diplomat and is the mother of two young children. The disclosure stuns
Brian, whose parents’ imperfect but lasting marriage has formed the basis for his more
conventional understanding of romantic relations. Torn between his attraction to Arielle and his
adherence to social norms, Brian retreats from the self-described “sirene” until he can no longer
deny the direction of his heart, then abandons himself to the thrill of becoming Arielle’s lover—
though only, of course, between the hours of 5 and 7.
Their relationship may be an affair, but to Brian’s surprise and confusion, it’s hardly an illicit
one. The story’s central chapter is a rich and gratifying comedy of manners and mores, as Brian
finds himself welcomed not only into Arielle’s suite at the St. Regis, but into her home as well.
Her husband, Valéry (Lambert Wilson), greets him with warmth and respect, introducing him not
only to such distinguished friends as Alan Gilbert, Julian Bond and Daniel Boulud (all playing
themselves, with evident relish) as well as Jane (Olivia Thirlby), a young American literary
editor and Valéry’s own discreet lover. The flipside of this sophisticated international set is
represented by Arlene (Glenn Close) and Sam (Frank Langella), Brian’s resolutely conventional
but clearly devoted parents, who are alarmed, if not quite scandalized, by their son’s atypical
romance.
“5 to 7” Press Notes p. 4
But as Brian’s professional fortunes turn sunnier (assisted in no small part by Jane), his feelings
for Arielle grow deeper, more passionate, and can no longer be contained within the “civilized”
boundaries of 5 to 7. His ardent decision to violate the terms of their arrangement forces Arielle
to make the most difficult choice of her life, between the husband and family she adores and the
dictates of her own heart, which has never known a love like the one she feels for Brian. That
painful choice carries dramatic consequences for every one of the story’s characters, as 5 to 7
reaches a resolution that’s both heartbreaking and uplifting, affirming the transformative power
of love even as it remains grounded, empathic and undeniably true to life.
Producer Julie Lynn first encountered Levin’s script six years ago, which led to a lunch with the
writer and would-be director. “Vic and I met at Le Pain Quotidien in West Hollywood and we
just had a great time,” she recalls. “I loved the script and his sense of humor. It was clear to
me that even though he had not directed a feature film before, he had a very clear aesthetic with
which he wanted to make the movie. I said to him on the day, ‘great, go meet all the other
producers you can set up meetings with, and when you’re done with that, call me and we’ll get
started. And so we did,” she smiles. “It’s just taken a while to put it together.”
Levin commented on the origins of this story. “For me, it always starts with theme, and in this
case, the theme of the life unlived. There are doors that we don’t walk through in our lives, and
maybe it’s for the best and maybe it’s not, but you never quite know. And you spend a lot of
time thinking, ‘was that the right thing to do or to not have done?’ These are questions that I
think are common to everyone. I think all of us have something in our past that we almost did or
didn’t do, or did and shouldn’t have done and we just wonder ‘what if?’”
For Lynn and her producing partner Bonnie Curtis, the question of making 5 to 7 was never
going to be a ‘What if?’ The pair were in Ireland making their first collaboration, Albert Nobbs,
when Lynn showed Curtis the script. “Bonnie came in the next morning in snowy Ireland,”
recalls Lynn, “and said, ‘Okay, I read 5 to 7. It’s like Neil Simon and Woody Allen had a baby
and his name is Vic Levin.’ It was a great moment because I loved it, too.”
“It’s one of those incredible scripts,” reflects producer Sam Englebardt (Byzantium), “that you
read and just say, ‘We have to figure out how to bring this story into the world’… The material is
about people struggling to achieve what they hope to be in life, people trying to figure out where
they are in their life. Did they accomplish what they wanted? Are they sharing their time with
the person they hoped to be sharing it with? Are they as open-minded as they thought they
would be, are they dogmatic in ways that they didn’t suspect? It had these elements that [fellow
producer] Bill [Johnson] and I could really connect with. I think most people could.”
Further evidence that the production was in good hands could be found in the top-notch cast that
first-time feature director Victor Levin was able to assemble. The process began with Anton
Yelchin, whose open, honest expressiveness made him an ideal choice for the story’s young
romantic lead. “There are… what? Seven billion people on the earth? He’s the best one for this
part,” declares Levin, “and I don’t even know who’s second. He’s the one I wanted. To me, he’s
Dustin Hoffman as a young man. He’s got that kind of combination of complete authenticity,
real comedy, real pathos. I loved what he did in this movie and I loved our relationship. I was
really able to speak to him without wondering: how should I phrase this for the actor? You
“5 to 7” Press Notes p. 5
know? That’s not a good conversation to have with yourself. It’s much better if you can just
sort of not worry and go in and say what you’re thinking and feeling. And I never had to worry
about that with Anton. He just got it.”
Appropriately, the story’s own honesty proved to be a key draw for the actor, himself. “What
struck me the most right off the bat,” Yelchin recalls, “was the tenderness and honesty with
which the characters behaved, and the kind of dignity they had about them as people. It didn’t
feel clichéd, the choices that they made, you know? It wasn’t like the film ended and it was a
happy-ever-after love story, but at the same time, it didn’t feel like it was forcing itself to be the
opposite of that either. It was just exploring characters’ decisions, and they felt like decisions
that people might actually make in some version of the real world.”
With previous credits like Charlie Bartlett and Like Crazy, Yelchin is no stranger to coming-ofage films. But 5 to 7 provides him with his most expansive canvas to date for charting a passage
from young manhood to genuine maturity. “Brian is a writer,” he explains, “or at least he wants
to be a good writer. I don’t know that he has a lot to say when we meet him and that’s really the
journey that he has to take… When he meets Arielle, she challenges his approach to life right
away, just in the simple act of asking him if they’re going to see each other again. She has this
mysterious complexity that’s extremely intoxicating for him, and then of course he learns that
she’s married and it seems like the world just collapses for him. He’s not comfortable with that.
He wants to make the safe choice, but he comes back to her because she is, while extremely
mysterious, also able to be very honest and open and emotionally connected with him.”
If Arielle is mysterious to Brian, she was considerably less so to the talented actress portraying
her. “When I read the script,” says Bérénice Marlohe, “I felt an immediate understanding of her,
of her soul. She’s someone very positive; I connected with that. And I related to the way that
sometimes, you have some tough choices to make in matters of life or love. Her journey is very,
very human. I think anyone can relate to that.” And like her co-star, Marlohe appreciated the
way the story was unafraid to break with genre conventions in the pursuit of honesty. “This
subject is quite unusual in movies,” she continues. “That’s something I liked as well, most of all
because it’s a romantic comedy that touches on deeper struggles. I think it’s great nowadays to
get to see that on screen because of course, love is a universal thing, as are all the questions and
sometimes the struggles that come with it.”
“Bérénice Marlohe is, for a little while longer, a bit of a well-kept secret,” suggests Levin.
“She’s funny, and she’s complex and she’s enormously well prepared. I was just transfixed by
her and by her range and her ability to understand and incorporate into her performance some
stuff that’s subtle enough to be tricky for me to explain to even a native English speaker.
Sometimes I get a little tied up in my own sentences and it’s hard to make something clean and
crisp and clear, so that it's translation-proof. But it never stopped her; she was able to draw out
exactly what I was going for, and then she gave it right back to us. I believe that she’s a classical
international leading lady in the manner of a Jeanne Moreau or a Charlotte Rampling. I’m really
looking forward to seeing what she does in the future because other directors are going to love
working with her.”
“5 to 7” Press Notes p. 6
For Yelchin, Marlohe’s intuitive grasp of the character’s soul made Arielle easy to fall in love
with. “Bérénice is such a generous human being,” he enthuses, “and she brings that to Arielle,
that kind of generosity of emotion and connection and openness. When Bérénice inhabits her,
you see that Arielle has this kind of light, this captivating, honest, un-superficial light as a human
being. She truly is a very open, honest, generous person, kind and gentle in the way that Arielle
is. And so creating this relationship with her, because it’s an intimate relationship, because of
her openness and the generosity of her nature, it becomes very easy and very comfortable.”
LOVE IN THE STORYTELLING
Nowhere is that ease and intimacy more evident than in the sparkling dialogue that showcases
the skills that Levin has sharpened from writing for some of the top television series of our time,
including Mad Men, Mad About You and The Larry Sanders Show. “I instantly liked it,” states
Frank Langella, who takes on the part of Brian’s father, Sam Bloom. “It’s literate, witty,
intelligent and crafted, which most scripts aren’t. It approaches a subject that’s universal. To
me, the definition of good art is taking something that you think you have seen and heard
everything you could possibly know about, and approaching in a new and different way, and Vic
Levin has done that. He’s looked at this story with grace and skill and style, and it’s very funny
and poignant without ever being obvious.”
The quality of the writing astonished not only distinguished screen veterans like Langella; it
worked a similar magic on young stars like Olivia Thirlby, who plays Jane, Valéry’s lover and,
ultimately, Brian’s editor. “I’ve rarely encountered scripts, or anything written in modern
English for that matter, that is as rhythmically perfect as this script is,” marvels Thirlby. “In fact,
I didn’t realize that until the process of memorizing began, and it was only then that I realized
how perfect every single sentence was… every preposition and every small choice of words or
small choice of syntax. It’s so specific and it is really absolutely perfect. It’s so perfectly natural
that it might not even be picked up on; it’s just easy on the ears. As an actor, all I have to do is
memorize it perfectly and then it does all the work for me.”
Bringing that dialogue to life required a close rapport between the two leads. To achieve that
degree of comfort, trust and intimacy, Levin was able to take advantage of a luxury only
occasionally afforded to feature films: rehearsal. “We rehearsed in Central Park,” relates
Marlohe, “and it was great just to get to know each other, getting to joke and meet each other,
creating a connection that we could use on set and on screen. We prepared with Victor a few
months before the beginning of the filming. He had a strong view. He knew the lives of his
characters perfectly; he has lived with them. So it’s valuable to get to know his point of view,
and then try to bring your own point of view to it, your guts and experiences in life, and together,
you build and bring life to those characters.”
The role of Valéry posed a challenge for its actor, Lambert Wilson: creating a vivid impression
of an honorable and authoritative man despite limited screen time and a character whose primary
tools are tact, diplomacy and restraint. “The character of this ambassador,” he observes, “is a
dream vision of an ideal man, a very understanding man… but the director and writer, Vic, has
decided not to get too near him. He has to remain a sort of image. He’s a presence. He’s around,
but you don’t get to the nitty-gritty of how he relates to his wife or his mistress. He’s a glorified
picture of what a perfect man should be in his exterior elegance and his inner elegance, but you
“5 to 7” Press Notes p. 7
don’t see him backstage.” Appropriately enough for a devoted husband, what drew Lambert to
the story wasn’t his own role so much as Marlohe’s. “What happened when I read the script,” he
continues, “is that I fell in love with this woman who had such freedom, such maturity that she
could embark this young man into this extraordinary relationship. That’s her. It is that
character. And I’m inspired by that beautiful moment of understanding that Brian receives at the
very close of the film, that actually this woman has been, in a real way, in her heart, faithful to
him and faithful to this incredible passion that she’s experienced with him. That’s the treasure.”
For each of their fellow cast members, one senses that the real treasure of 5 to 7 was the
opportunity to act alongside film icons Langella and Glenn Close. “I had a truly magical time
with Glenn and Frank,” shares Yelchin, who in fact had previously worked with Langella a
decade earlier on House of D. The young actor particularly relished the opportunity “to see
Frank again, many years down the line, and to be able to have those different kinds of
conversations with him, because of course when you’re fourteen, you have different kinds of
conversations with someone than when you’re twenty-four. So just to be able to spend time with
him again and speak with him again is incredibly gratifying, to be able to put things in that
unique perspective.” Likewise, Glenn Close, according to Yelchin, “is just an amazing person…
I was so, so wonderfully grateful for the fact that she’s such a lovely human being, especially
since I’ve been a tremendous fan of hers for years and years. Just being with them together and
watching two great actors work is a true privilege, so when you have that privilege and you can
study them and their work right in front of you, you just have to be grateful for it. So I felt
grateful for every moment that I was there.”
For Olivia Thirlby, part of the magic of watching Close and Langella at work was the revelation
that there is, in fact, no magic—the two screen legends are simply professionals with a true
devotion to their craft. “They’re two personal idols of mine. Thank God I don’t actually have to
converse with them in the film, because I would be so nervous!” Thirlby laughs. “But it’s an
honor just to be in this same picture with them. Just to sit and listen to them running lines fills
me with a sense of amazement and gratitude, recognizing and feeling good to know that I’m not
the only one that has to run lines and work at learning them perfectly. Because truly, Glenn and
Frank, they’re just flawless.”
Producer Bonnie Curtis particularly recalls a key scene between the two, shot at the end of a long
day, with the crew’s camera capability running low. “The car scene after the New Yorker
event…” she intones with near-reverence. “I’ve heard twelve different crew members talk about
since then, including in editorial, when they rewound and watched it several times. It’s
extraordinary, the process by which those two incredible actors got revved up and got to the take
that Vic will use in the movie.”
“It was already nine, ten, ten-thirty at night,” recalls Levin, “before we even got into the car
which was, by the way parked on 42nd Street in the middle of oncoming traffic and with hordes
of people who saw us and were waving things and screaming for autographs. Not exactly ideal
working conditions,” he laughs ruefully.
“One of them would flub a line,” Curtis continues, “and they’d start over, and the other one
would flub a line and recognize they needed a cue at a certain point… We’re watching them help
“5 to 7” Press Notes p. 8
each other, and within minutes, they were finishing each other’s sentences like an old married
couple—and they’re supposed to be married thirty years in the movie. You could see them
literally just revving up, revving up, revving up. And the sound guy is wanting to go in and
tweak something and the wardrobe person is wanting to go in and tweak something, but Vic had
that knowledge, that intuition behind the monitor to make everybody stay away, and let them go
for it; he told them, ‘you don’t interrupt what’s happening right now.’ So we’re all watching it
unfold, and then they absolutely nail the take with, like, seven seconds of shooting time left. It
was crazy, but they got it, and right when they finished, Glenn looked off and just smiled and
said, ‘I love actors.’”
For their own parts, Langella and Close never regarded themselves as elder statesmen of the
production, but simply as hardworking members of a close and talented ensemble. As Langella
reflects: “There is this sense of frivolity that comes with actors who like each other, and this film
happens to be that way. There’s a heightened sense of pleasure that comes with the six principal
actors spending the whole day enjoying each other’s humor, and understanding both the
importance and the ridiculousness of what we do. That keeps you very young, whether you’re
standing around with colleagues who are 22, 34, 50, 65. I’m the oldest, but there’s a camaraderie
and an ease that passes generations, passes sexuality, passes gender. It’s impossible to explain to
‘civilians’ what it’s like to be in our profession. It’s ennobling, and it’s terribly, terribly exciting
to continue to create things as you get older.”
LOVE IN THE CITY
As if the pleasure of working with their talented colleagues wasn’t enough, the cast and crew had
the distinct pleasure of shooting 5 to 7 on the one-of-a-kind set that is the streets of New York
City. “I never filmed in New York before,” admits Bérénice Marlohe. “It was very new to me,
this city, so it really helped me believe that I am this character, that I am part of this ultra-vivid
and organic and great city… you’re fed by the energy of the city and so it was absolutely great to
have that city as another character in the movie.”
Both Glenn Close and Olivia Thirlby share a sentimental connection to the city. “My very first
film, The World According to Garp, was shot in New York,” recalls Close, “so I’m very, very
partial to shooting in New York. New Yorkers are very embracing. I find that if, if something
bugs a New Yorker, they’ll get it off their chests very fast and they move on, everybody moves
on. It’s not a city that holds a grudge.”
Thirlby offers a similar appreciation for the no-nonsense Gotham style. “There’s not very much
privacy when you’re on location here, but for the most part, New Yorkers don’t really care if
there’s filming going on. They’re so used to it. Thank you, Law & Order!” she laughs, before
considering the value the city can add to a film or a performance. “This city is completely alive
in every direction… There’s always something going on, which makes filming here really fun,
because you can feed off the energy of the public around you, she says with a smile. “The
unassuming public… they don’t even realize how much they’re helping you.”
It wasn’t just the unsuspecting public assisting Levin and his cast in creating a rich and involving
story; each of the craft departments brought a sharp, coherent vision to the production, making
certain that 5 to 7 didn’t just sound and play like a definitive New York romance, but looked and
“5 to 7” Press Notes p. 9
felt like one as well. “From the very beginning,” recalls costume designer Heidi Bivens (Inland
Empire), “Vic wanted something very classic, something very timeless, a look for the characters
that was approachable, doesn’t call too much attention to the costumes, so that it’s not distracting
to the audience, but lends something refined to the film… The approach was always to create
something that isn’t going to feel dated when you watch this film in ten or twenty years.”
Dressing main characters from different worlds gave Bivens the opportunity to work across the
costuming spectrum. “Brian grew up outside of the city,” she observes, “but not far from there,
so even though he technically didn’t grow up in Manhattan, he has a worldly vibe around, about
him. He’s not so suburban in his mindset. He aspires to be a writer in a way that is sort of
romanticized. So the way he dresses reflects that: comfortable, handsome, classic and not
terribly trendy by any means.” Arielle’s background as a former model and woman of high
society Europe gave Bivens the opportunity to indulge in some continental couture. “It was great
to be able to dress a woman who has curves,” says Bivens of her work with Marlohe. “It was
exciting for me. We had a lot of fun in the fittings, being able to work with high-end designers
for this project, because her character is wealthy and her husband is a French ambassador. So I
was able to go to all the big fashion houses to look for options for her. From the beginning, I
wanted to use fabrics that were very soft and sensual, so that when the audience sees her on
screen, they have a sensory experience… they want to hug her, they want to touch her. My goal
is that Arielle comes alive on screen through the wardrobe, through the fabric choices like silks
and cashmeres, and I think we were able to accomplish that.”
In 5 to 7, Bivens’s and her team’s own designs hold the screen next to the work of designers like
Max Mara, Tom Ford and Azzedine Alaia. “On every film,” she shares, “I always try to design
some original pieces, because that’s the fun part about it, you know? To be able to have an
image in mind of what you want, and instead of having to go out in the world and search for it
like needle in a haystack, to be able to like actually just make it happen.” The bespoke suits
worn by Lambert Wilson are entirely original designs, as are some of the defining pieces of
Anton Yelchin’s wardrobe, including his moleskin topcoat. “From the very beginning, I had this
image in my mind of Brian wearing this topcoat. I searched high and low for something like that
and just couldn’t find what I wanted. It was either too heavy, or just not the right silhouette, so
we had that made by my friends at [design company] Doyle Muser and that ended up working
really well. It’s a very special piece, and he looks super handsome in it.”
The film’s production design was in the capable hands of four-time Oscar nominee Jeannine
Oppewall (Seabiscuit). Oppewall had first worked with Bonnie Curtis and Julie Lynn on the
romantic fable The Face of Love, and readily signed on to help create the physical world that 5 to
7 inhabits. “I read Vic’s script,” she recalls, “and I’m not usually a big romantic comedy gal.
But I laughed out loud reading this script, and I thought, whoa, something I can laugh at? This
could be good.” Her instincts proved prescient. “From a design standpoint, this movie was
unusually easy,” she continues, “because Vic kind of grew up in the neighborhood, and had a
pretty good idea what he wanted, what he was willing to compromise on, and what he wasn’t
willing to accept… If someone’s found their way seriously into the material ahead of you, it’s
easier to make your own tracks.”
“5 to 7” Press Notes p. 10
For Oppewall, key spaces like Arielle and Valéry’s townhouse and Brian’s apartment posed
different kinds of challenges, as did the prospect of shooting in and around New York landmarks
like the New York Public Library. “I had a pretty good idea about what the townhouse needed to
be,” she states, “and Vic made some very clear statements ahead of time that it needed to be a
place that any French person or any American person would recognize as belonging to both
countries, across both cultures… a place of taste and wealth. To me, that also meant it needed to
be a place of culture, a place of quiet elegance, not just a statement of money.” To accomplish
that, Oppewall and her team “went looking for something that was largely empty, but could offer
the beginnings of an idea about how to dress it. Then we followed through with our own
instincts of how to collect the right furniture, how to arrange it in a way that made sense for the
scene, while also doing what we can that would tell the audience immediately they were in a
New York townhouse belonging to a French couple. So we both borrowed and rented things that
said ‘French’ about them. If the movie is seen by people who know furniture, they’ll recognize
that the things that we got were primarily French, as opposed to from England or Scotland or
Belgium or the American South.”
Conversely, for Brian’s apartment, Oppewall relates, “it was tiny. It was so small. You could
hardly turn around in it and of course, it’s painted your basic off white. Nothing interesting,
nothing exotic, but it was clean and it was neat, not depressing. The windows were large enough
to admit a certain amount of light, so you didn’t have the feeling the poor guy was stuck in a
mole hole. What we did was to give him furniture that felt like he had gotten some castoffs from
mom and dad, and found a few things on the street as he was walking around… But it’s a
‘booky’ place. He still likes the physical books and magazines and oddball things that were
collected because of his sense of irony as a writer.” That sense of irony is nowhere more present
than in Brian’s wall of rejection letters from publishers. “It went on forever,” sighs Oppewall,
“and cost several people in my department a great deal of their time. It’s a matter of getting it
right… No, they can’t all be white. Some of them need to be gray, some of them need to be
beige. Can’t have a dead white wall, right?”
And as for the New York Public Library? Appropriately enough for this literary story, Oppewall
can only paraphrase Gertrude Stein. “The library is the library is the library,” she laughs. “All
you can do is edit. ‘Please take that away.’ ‘Can we bring this in?’ ‘No, don’t touch those
tapestries!’ It’s all a question of making compromises that you’re comfortable with. That’s the
nature of life, but it can be especially cruel when you’re making low-budget movies because, like
almost everybody, you have to live within your means. This is not the 1% movie,” she smiles,
alluding to the recent spate of superhero blockbusters. “It’s not one of those movies where the
last word in the title is ‘-Man.’ It’s just a real movie for smart, grown-up, educated adult types.
How nice, right? That’s something I’d go to see.”
For producer Julie Lynn, the opportunity to utilize metropolitan institutions like the Public
Library gave the film a special kind of New York magic. “When you add the Guggenheim and
Central Park and a lot of the other places, Fifth Avenue, Madison Avenue… you really get a
sense of we’re making a movie in New York. We’re not just inside a room that could be
anywhere where we’re passing off another city as New York. We’re in New York, for real. It’s
great.”
“5 to 7” Press Notes p. 11
Two particular institutions represented a collective coup for the team. “One was the ability to
film in the St. Regis Hotel,” explains Curtis. “And the second was to somehow convince The
New Yorker magazine to allow us to use their masthead and their art work and their magazine, to
get clearance to do that throughout the whole film. And if, perchance, their editor, David
Remnick, wanted to actually be in the film and play himself that that would be okay, too,” she
deadpans.
“For a long time,” Curtis continues, “we didn’t know if it was going to happen or not, but after
much relentless pursuit on all fronts, we ended up in a meeting in David Remnick’s office
several weeks before filming. And David, who is just the loveliest man, said ‘okay, just don’t
make me look like a fool.’…He doesn’t.”
The extraordinary work of the producers was not lost on Levin. “You know, you write ‘St. Regis
Hotel’ in your script, you don’t think it’s going to be the St. Regis Hotel. You think when you
finally shoot it, it’s going wind up at, you know, Bill and Tim’s hotel. But guess what? It’s the
St. Regis. You ask for a museum, you get the Guggenheim. You ask for a great venue, you get
the New York Public Library. I mean, I couldn’t believe it actually. It was really a series of
‘pinch yourself’ moments, and they add so much. The biggest bonus, and a part of this
experience that I’ll never forget, was the participation of David Remnick, a writer and editor I
hugely admire, and The New Yorker, a magazine that, in my professional life, has always
represented the top of the mountain. It was a fantastic experience, sitting in David’s office for an
hour, talking to him, just getting the sense of him and then getting a little tour through The New
Yorker offices. This, to me, is what it would be like if a prospective baseball player got to stand
in the clubhouse at Yankee Stadium. That’s how it felt to me. It’s actually The New Yorker in
the movie. There’s a New Yorker cover and a New Yorker magazine with our character’s name
over the title of his story. And if you had told me at the start of the process that we would’ve had
that, I would’ve said there’s no way. It doesn’t happen that way when you make movies. But
thanks to Bonnie and Julie, it did.”
Levin offers similar praise for another key member of the 5 to 7 team, Director of Photography
Arnaud Potier. “He’s my brother at this point,” says the writer/director of his DP. “We had to
pick a DP who was eligible to be hired in New York. There was a long list of people, I think
about seventy, and I, perhaps being the workaholic that I’ve been accused of being, I watched
every single one. This man’s work was on a completely different level. It was as though he had
already seen the movie in my head. And he was interested, and came here and threw in and was
working twenty hours a day. He didn’t see his children for 55 days; he spent that time going
over every shot with me, changing things on the day if they needed to be changed. It very
quickly got to the point where I considered him a partner in every sense. I would ask him, ‘Hey,
do you think this is funny? Is that working?’ And he would ask me, ‘Do you like this frame?
Or this composition?’ It was really lovely. I’ve only had a few experiences in my life of being
that simpatico with somebody on the same project.”
5 to 7 represents the first English-language film Potier has shot. As with all of the cross-cultural
collaborations the project engendered, language proved no barrier given the common currency of
hard work, craftsmanship and professionalism shared by the team. And like any creative
collaboration, the group’s work required negotiation and compromise. The townhouse Oppewall
“5 to 7” Press Notes p. 12
found for Arielle and Valéry, for instance, while appropriately refined and tasteful, proved a tight
fit for the eminent dinner party Valéry and Arielle host. “We did that big scene in the
townhouse,” Potier recalls, “a big dinner scene in a very small dining room… That was the
trickiest part, I think, for Vic and I to find the best way to shoot it. I think there were about ten
people around the table, virtually all of them speaking. It was very tricky, almost like creating a
ballet of conversation, a ballet of people.”
Potier’s nod to ballet is only fitting given the delicacy and precision of the work of Levin and his
collaborators, the push and pull of Brian’s and Arielle’s blossoming devotion suggesting a finely
choreographed pas de deux. And like a gifted and equally matched pair of dancers, Brian and
Arielle bring out the very best in each other, and consequently close the story as far different
people than when they began. As Yelchin observes, “I sort of hope for every character that I
can—or like to think I can—take them on a journey, you know? That you can meet one kind of
person at the start of the story and then leave the theater having witnessed their transformation
into whatever or whoever they’ve become. I only hope that when you first meet Brian, you’re
meeting a different person, that you’re meeting someone who doesn’t quite understand what he
wants to say or how he wants to live his life. And when you leave him, you’re leaving someone
who has lived his life enough to have true gratitude for it, and the knowledge of how he wants to
live it going forward.”
After all, the expectation, excitement and even sometimes the heartbreak of making movies is a
reasonable reflection of how it feels to be in love. Storytellers hope against hope that their story
will be one that lasts, one that satisfies, one that brings comfort and joy and self-knowledge. It’s
hard to tell whether producer Sam Englebardt is talking about making movies or falling in love
when he happily (even nervously?) reflects: “I mean, it’s always an exciting process… It’s
especially exciting when you kind of suspect that you’ve got something special… I don’t want to
jinx it, but this just feels like that to me.” Ultimately, it’s his and his team’s hope that their story
and their characters will be the love of someone’s life—whether for just a few hours, an evening,
or a lifetime. “We went into it knowing that maybe we were making a movie that people haven’t
seen for a while,” he smiles, “and I think they’re hungry to see again. I mean, there are all the
big movie spectacles that, for better or worse, play their role in our lives now. But really welltold stories about human beings… I think there’s a pretty big hunger for that.”
“5 to 7” Press Notes p. 13
ABOUT THE CAST
ANTON YELCHIN (Brian)
Anton Yelchin is one of the Hollywood’s most sought after young
actors. With highly acclaimed performances in Like Crazy, Star Trek,
Terminator Salvation, The Beaver and Charlie Bartlett, Yelchin has
quickly become a household name.
2013 was a busy year for Yelchin. He reprised his role as ‘Pavel
Chekov’ in Paramount’s Star Trek Into the Darkness and his role as
‘Clumsy Smurf’ in Sony’s Smurfs 2. Yelchin also voiced the lead
character in the English version of the film From Up On Poppy Hill.
Yelchin recently completed filming Cymbeline alongside Ethan Hawke and Ed Harris, which is a
modern day telling of the story by William Shakespeare. Prior to that, Yelchin starred for
director William H. Macy in Rudderless alongside Laurence Fishburne, Billy Crudup and
Felicity Huffman. He also garnered critical acclaim for his starring role in Stephen Sommer’s
Odd Thomas.
Audiences will next see Yelchin in Jim Jarmusch’s film Only Lovers Left Alive in which he stars
alongside Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston and Mia Wasikowska, which premiered at the Cannes
Film Festival last spring, and he wrapped production on Broken Horses with Vincent D’Onofrio
and Chris Marquette.
Most recently Yelchin completed filming Burying the Ex for director Joe Dante and The Dying of
the Light for director Paul Schrader. His upcoming projects include Driftless Area and Squirrels.
Yelchin received critical acclaim for his starring role in Drake Doremus’ film Like Crazy for
which he was honored with the “Artist to Watch” Award at 2011 Aspen Film Festival and the
“Hollywood Spotlight Award” at the 2011 Hollywood Film Festival.
Yelchin also garnered praise from critics for his performance as ‘Porter Black’ in The Beaver costarring with Mel Gibson and director Jodie Foster.
Yelchin’s film credits include a starring role opposite Colin Farrell and Tony Collete in
Disney/Dreamworks thriller Fright Night; he voiced the character of ‘Albino Pirate’ in animated
feature, The Pirates Band of Misfits, starring Hugh Grant and Salma Hayek; he starred as ‘Kyle
Reese’ in Terminator Salvation opposite Christian Bale and Sam Worthington and he starred in
Charlie Bartlett as a title character opposite Robert Downey Jr.
Additional films include Alpha Dog opposite Bruce Willis; Hearts in Atlantis opposite Anthony
Hopkins; Fierce People opposite Diane Lane; Middle of Nowhere opposite Susan Sarandon;
House of D opposite Robin Williams and New York, I Love You with all the stars cast.
“5 to 7” Press Notes p. 14
Yelchin has also appeared on some of television’s most critically acclaimed dramas including the
Showtime series Huff for two seasons and guest starring roles on Criminal Minds and Law and
Order.
BÉRÉNICE MARLOHE (Arielle)
Bérénice will next be seen in Terrence Malick’s Untitled Film opposite
Christian Bale, Michael Fassbender and Rooney Mara.
Marlohe was previously seen starring opposite Daniel Craig, Javier
Bardem, and Naomi Harris in the lead role of ‘Severin’ in the Sam
Mendes directed James Bond film Skyfall. This is the 23rd Bond film
marking its 50 year anniversary. The picture grossed over $296.8
million domestically and over $1 billion worldwide. It is the highest
grossing film ever released by Sony Pictures and is the highest grossing
film of all time in the United Kingdom.
LAMBERT WILSON (Valéry)
Lambert Wilson was born in Paris and studied acting at the Drama
Centre in London.
A fluent English speaker, Wilson made his feature film debut at the age
of twenty-two in Fred Zinnemann’s Five Days One Summer (1981)
starring opposite Sean Connery. He went on to work with many of
France’s most prestigious auteur directors, playing leads in Andrzej
Zulawski’s La Femme Publique, (1983), Véra Belmont’s Rouge Baiser
(1984), André Téchiné’s Rendez-vous, (Official Selection at Cannes and
winner of the Best Director Award, 1984), Luigi Comencini’s La Storia
(1985), Claude Chabrol’s Le Sang des Autres (1987), Philippe de Broca’s Chouans (1987) and
Peter Greenaway’s The Belly of the Architect (1987). He starred in his actor/director father
Georges Wilson’s feature film debut, La Vouivre (1988), and won the Jean Gabin Award for his
performance in Denis Amar’s Winter ‘54, (1989). Further film work includes James Ivory’s
Jefferson in Paris (1994) opposite Nick Nolte and Gwyneth Paltrow and John Duigan’s The
Leading Man, with Thandie Newton and John Bon Jovi (1996). He has made four films with
Alain Resnais: Same Old Song (1997), Not on the Lips, 2003, Private Fears in Public Places,
(2006) and You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet (2012) and has worked with Jacques Doillon in Trop
(peu) d'amour, (1997), Deborah Warner in The Last September, with Maggie Smith, Fiona Shaw,
Jane Birkin and Michael Gambon (1998) and starred in Raùl Ruiz’s Combat d’amour en songe
(2000).
His more recent, English language work includes the Wachowski brothers’ Matrix Reloaded and
Matrix Revolutions (2001), Pitof’s Catwoman (2004) with Halle Berry and Sharon Stone, Breck
Eisner’s Sahara, (2005), Michael Radford’s Flawless (2006) with Demi Moore and Michael
Caine, and Mathieu Kassovitz’s Babylon A.D. (2007) with Vin Diesel and Charlotte Rampling.
In addition to 5 to 7, Wilson has just starred in a couple other international productions, Lulu
Wang’s Posthumous with Jack Huston and Britt Marling, and Suite Française, opposite Michelle
“5 to 7” Press Notes p. 15
Williams, Kristin Scott Thomas and Matthias Shoenaerts, all due for release in 2014.
Highlights from his latter French filmography include: Valérie Lemercier’s Palais Royal! (2004),
Xavier Beauvois’ Of Gods and Men, Cannes Official Selection and Winner, Grand Prize of the
Jury (2009), Bertrand Tavernier The Princess of Montpensier (2009), Alain Chabat’s Le
Marsupilami (2011), Philippe Le Guay’s Cycling with Moliere (2012).
In the summer of 2013, he played the lead in Eric Lavaine’s Barbecue, opposite Florence Foresti,
Franck Dubosc, Guillaume de Tonquédec, Lionel Abelanski, Jérôme Commandeur, Valérie
Crouzet, Sophie Duez et Lysiane Meis (2014).
OLIVIA THIRLBY (Jane)
Olivia Thirlby was last seen in Lionsgate’s Dredd opposite Karl Urban
and Lena Headey about a violent and futuristic city where the police
have the authority to act as judge, jury and executioner, directed by Pete
Travis.
In 2012, she starred in Nobody Walks opposite Rosemarie Dewitt and
John Krasinski which circles around an artist (Thirlby) who disrupts the
daily routine of a Los Angeles family. The film debuted at the 2012
Sundance Film Festival. In Paul Weitz’s Being Flynn, Thirlby stars
opposite Robert De Niro, Julianne Moore and Paul Dano about a young
man in his twenties, working at various homeless shelters in Boston; Thirlby plays Paul Dano’s
love interest. The film was distributed by Focus Features and released in March, 2012. The
actress also starred in Paul Weitz’s play Lonely, I’m Not directed by Trip Cullman and costarring Topher Grace at the Second Stage Theatre in New York. Thirlby plays the role of
“Heather,” an ambitious and blind young business woman who has to overcome her own
obstacles in order to achieve emotional success.
Thirlby made her feature film debut in The Secret, produced by Luc Besson and directed by
Vincent Perez, in which she starred opposite David Duchovny and Lili Taylor. The film was
distributed and released in France in 2007. In 2006, Thirlby gained national attention by
appearing in Paul Greengrass' award-winning film United 93, a real-time account of the events of
one of the September 11th hijacked planes that crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Thirlby's other film credits include Jason Reitman's Oscar nominated film Juno opposite Ellen
Page, Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner; Jonathan Levine's Sundance award winning film The
Wackness opposite Sir Ben Kingsley and Josh Peck; David Gordon Green's Snow Angels
opposite Sam Rockwell and Kate Beckinsale; No Strings Attached opposite Natalie Portman and
Ashton Kutcher; What Goes Up with Molly Shannon, Amanda Peet, and Steve Coogan; The
Answer Man, opposite Jeff Daniels, Kat Dennings, Lou Taylor Pucci and Lauren Graham;
Kenneth Lonnergan's Margaret with Anna Paquin, Matthew Broderick, Mark Ruffalo, Allison
Janney and Matt Damon; Uncertainty opposite Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Lynn Collins; New
York, I Love You opposite Anton Yelchin in the segment directed by Brett Ratner and the short
film Eve opposite Lauren Bacall, written and directed by Natalie Portman.
“5 to 7” Press Notes p. 16
Her television credits include a recurring role opposite Jason Schwartzman on the HBO series
Bored to Death.
Thirlby made her off-Broadway debut in the Atlantic Theater Company production of Farragut
North, written by Beau Willimon and directed by Doug Hughes, starring alongside John
Gallagher, Jr. and Chris Noth. She later reprised this role in the West Coast premiere of the
production at the Geffen Playhouse opposite Chris Pine.
Prior to that, Thirlby had extensive credits in classical Shakespeare, as she studied at both the
American Globe Theatre and at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London.
Thirlby will next be seen in the indie Just Before I Go directed by Courtney Cox. Olivia just
wrapped filming Screen Gems feature The Wedding Ringer opposite Kevin Hart and will shoot
comedy Late Bloomer opposite Elijah Wood and Melissa Leo in early 2014. She just wrapped
shooting the lead of the independent film The White Orchid.
FRANK LANGELLA (Sam)
Frank Langella has long been considered among America’s greatest
stage and film actors. His career is a model of quality and longevity,
excelling in range, power and versatility.
In 2014 he will star in no less than six films. In addition to Draft Day,
there are: Olivier Dahan’s Grace of Monaco opposite Nicole Kidman;
The Prophet, as the voice of Pasha; Parts Per Billion opposite Gena
Rowlands; 5 to 7 opposite Glenn Close; and the new Muppets Most
Wanted movie opposite Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog. He was most
recently seen in HBO’s Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight opposite
Christopher Plummer, directed by Stephen Frears. Prior to that his film
Robot & Frank was award-winning at Sundance, garnering excellent reviews with critics and
public alike; and in 2011 he starred on Broadway in Terence Rattigan’s “Man and Boy,” earning
him his 6th Tony nomination.
Langella made his film debut in 1970 in Diary of a Mad Housewife, and later that year in the
iconic Mel Brooks comedy The Twelve Chairs. He made his Broadway debut in 1974 in Edward
Albee’s “Seascape,” earning him the first of his three Tony awards. In 1977, he starred in the
title role of a Broadway revival of “Dracula,” and his performance turned the production into an
unexpected hit. He reprised his role for the film version of Dracula, released in 1979.
In the 1990s, he scored a breakthrough screen role in Ivan Reitman’s comedy Dave, followed by
Adrian Lyne’s Lolita and Roman Polanski’s The Ninth Gate, while still remaining a frequent and
distinguished presence in the New York theatrical community.
He has continued to work constantly on Broadway, winning his second Tony for Fortune’s Fool
in 2003, and his third for Frost/Nixon in 2007. On film in 2005, he played William S. Paley in
“5 to 7” Press Notes p. 17
George Clooney’s historical docudrama Good Night and Good Luck, and then the Daily Planet’s
editor Perry White in the 2006 Superman Returns, directed by Bryan Singer.
In 2007, Langella earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for his starring role in
“Starting Out in the Evening.” In the 2008 film version of Frost/Nixon, he was honored with a
Best Actor Academy Award® nomination, as well as Golden Globe and SAG nominations, for
his portrayal of disgraced former president Richard Nixon in Ron Howard’s big-screen
adaptation of the Broadway play. He was also seen in Oliver Stone’s Wall Street 2: Money
Never Sleeps.
Langella was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame in 2003. In addition to the awards already
mentioned, he has been honored with well over two dozen acting nominations and wins,
including Tonys, Oscars®, Emmys®, Golden Globes, Cable ACE Awards, Obies and various
critics’ awards.
Langella recently returned to the stage in the title role of King Lear at the Chichester
Shakespeare Festival in England and then at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York.
GLENN CLOSE (Arlene)
Emmy, Golden Globe and Tony Award winning actress Glenn Close
completed filming on four features this past summer: Low Down, for
director Jeff Preiss, co-starring John Hawkes and Elle Fanning; 5 to 7,
with Anton Yelchin, Bérénice Marlohe and Frank Langella for writerdirector Victor Levin; Anesthesia for writer-director Tim Blake Nelson;
and the highly-anticipated feature film of Marvel Comics’ Guardians of
the Galaxy.
Close received her sixth Academy Award acting nomination last year,
along with Golden Globe and SAG nominations, for the feature film
Albert Nobbs. She starred in the title role alongside a distinguished cast that includes Mia
Wasikowska, Aaron Johnson, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Brendan Gleeson, Brenda Fricker and
Janet McTeer. Rodrigo Garcia, for whom Close starred in two previous films, directed. In
addition to writing the screenplay with (Man Booker prize-winning novelist) John Banville,
Close was also a producer on the film and she composed the lyrics for the Golden Globe and
World Soundtrack nominated song, “Lay Your Head Down.” She received the Irish Film and
Television Award (IFTA) as “Best Foreign Actress,” was voted “Best Actress” at the 2011
Tokyo International Film Festival, the AARP “Movies for Grownups” Award as “Best Actress”
and was honored for her performance by the San Sebastian Film Festival (Donostia Award),
Hollywood Film Festival, Mill Valley Film Festival and the Palm Springs Film Festival.
Also in 2012, Glenn Close headlined the fifth and final season of the critically acclaimed original
legal thriller, Damages. For her riveting portrayal of high-stakes litigator ‘Patty Hewes’, Glenn
was nominated for a 2012 Emmy Award, a 2010 Emmy Award and won two consecutive
Emmys as “Best Actress in a Drama Series” for Damages’ first two seasons. For the show’s
2009 premiere season, she won a Golden Globe Award in addition to the Emmy and received a
SAG nomination. She was also nominated for a 2010 Golden Globe and both a 2011 and 2010
“5 to 7” Press Notes p. 18
SAG Award. Prior to Damages, Close won rave reviews and an Emmy nomination for her
portrayal of Captain Monica Rawling in a season-long story arc on FX’s The Shield.
Glenn Close made her feature film debut in George Roy Hill's The World According to Garp.
Her performance in the film earned her awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association
and the National Board of Review as well as her first Academy Award nomination. She was
subsequently Oscar-nominated for her performances in Lawrence Kasdan's The Big Chill; Barry
Levinson's The Natural; Adrian Lyne's smash Fatal Attraction; and Stephen Frears' Dangerous
Liaisons (for which she was also a BAFTA Award nominee).
Close's other films include Richard Marquand's Jagged Edge; Barbet Schroeder's Reversal of
Fortune; Franco Zeffirelli's Hamlet; István Szabó's Meeting Venus; Ron Howard's The Paper;
Stephen Herek's 101 Dalmatians; Kevin Lima's 102 Dalmatians; Wolfgang Petersen's Air Force
One; Robert Altman's Cookie's Fortune; Rose Troche's The Safety of Objects; Merchant Ivory's
Le Divorce; Chris Terrio's Heights; Rodrigo García's Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at
Her and Nine Lives; and Lajos Koltai’s Evening.
Close’s twelve Golden Globe Award nominations include a win for “Best Actress in a MiniSeries or Motion Picture for Television” for her performance in Andrei Konchalovsky's
adaptation of The Lion in Winter (which also earned her a SAG Award).
The latter is also among the television projects that have brought her twelve Emmy Award
nominations, among them a win for her portrayal of real-life hero Margarethe Cammermeyer in
Jeff Bleckner's Serving in Silence: the Margarethe Cammermeyer Story, which Close executive
produced.
Her other notable films for television include Jack Hofsiss' taped staging of The Elephant Man;
Randa Haines' Something About Amelia; Jack Gold's Stones for Ibarra; Christopher Reeve's In
the Gloaming (for which she won a CableACE Award) and Richard Pearce's musical remake of
South Pacific, in which she starred and sang as Nellie Forbush, and which she executiveproduced. She executive produced and starred thrice opposite Christopher Walken in the Sarah,
Plain and Tall trilogy, directed, alternately, by Glenn Jordan and Joseph Sargent. She likewise
executive produced and starred in The Ballad of Lucy Whipple, directed by Jeremy Kagan.
Glenn Close made her professional theater, and Broadway, debut in Harold Prince's revival of
Love for Love. Other early stage credits include Paul Giovanni's The Crucifer of Blood and
Simone Benmussa's adaptation of The Singular Life of Albert Nobbs, for which she won an Obie
Award. Close's first Tony Award nomination came for her role in Joe Layton's musical Barnum
and she subsequently won Tony Awards for her performances in The Real Thing and Death and
the Maiden, both directed by Mike Nichols.
For her portrayal of Norma Desmond in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Sunset Boulevard,
Close won a Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award, a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award and
a Dramalogue Award. She would later reteam with the show's director, Trevor Nunn, in London
for his Royal National Theatre revival of A Streetcar Named Desire.
“5 to 7” Press Notes p. 19
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
VICTOR LEVIN (Writer/Director)
Victor Levin has been writing for film and television since 1990, serving
as Co-Executive Producer on AMC’s Mad Men, Producer on HBO’s The
Larry Sanders Show, and Executive Producer/Showrunner on NBC’s Mad
About You, where he penned some of that series’ most memorable
episodes. His feature work includes Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!
(2004, DreamWorks), the American adaptation of My Sassy Girl (2008,
Gold Circle) and Then She Found Me (2008, ThinkFilm, co-written with
Helen Hunt and Alice Arlen). He is a four-time Emmy nominee, in
addition to nominations for the WGA and PGA awards.
Prior to coming to Los Angeles, Levin was an advertising copywriter,
rising to Associate Creative Director at Young & Rubicam and then at BBDO. His work
garnered a pair of Clios and a Cannes Lion de Bronze, among numerous other awards.
Born in Manhattan and raised in the Bronx and in Rockland Country, New York, Levin received
his BA from Amherst College. He is married to the violinist Jennifer Gordon Levin; the couple
has two daughters. 5 to 7 marks Victor’s feature directing debut.
JULIE LYNN (Producer)
Julie Lynn formed Mockingbird Pictures in the summer of 1999, with Bonnie Curtis joining in
2011. Mockingbird’s most recent release is Arie Posin’s The Face of Love (starring Annette
Bening and Ed Harris).
Another recent release from Mockingbird Pictures is the Roadside Attractions/Liddell
Entertainment presentation of Rodrigo Garcia’s Albert Nobbs, written by Glenn Close, John
Banville, and Gabriella Prekop from the short story by George Moore. The film starred Close,
Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland, Jane Eyre), Janet McTeer, and Brendan Gleeson. It was
nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Actress.
Other recent releases include Garcia’s Mother and Child for Sony Pictures Classics, starring
Annette Bening, Naomi Watts, Kerry Washington, Jimmy Smits and Samuel L. Jackson;
Garcia’s Passengers with Anne Hathaway and Patrick Wilson; Robin Swicord’s The Jane Austen
Book Club with Maria Bello, Emily Blunt and Hugh Dancy; Brad Silberling’s 10 Items or Less
with Morgan Freeman; the Rodrigo Garcia/Jared Rappaport/Rob Spera triptych Fathers and
Sons; and Garcia’s acclaimed Nine Lives with Glenn Close, Holly Hunter, Sissy Spacek and
Robin Wright.
Mockingbird Pictures films have played at many festivals, including Toronto, Sundance,
Telluride, Deauville (Grand Prize), San Sebastian (Closing Night) and Locarno (Grand Prize),
and have been nominated for multiple Independent Spirit Awards.
“5 to 7” Press Notes p. 20
Earlier in her career, Lynn co-produced Steve James’s Joe and Max, as well as HBO’s
presentation of Margaret Edson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play WIT, directed by Mike Nichols and
starring Emma Thompson. That production won The Peabody, The Humanitas, The Christopher
and three Emmy Awards, including Best Picture. Lynn also supervised the horse races on Gary
Ross’s Academy Award-nominated Seabiscuit for Kennedy/Marshall, DreamWorks and
Universal Pictures.
As time allows, Lynn serves as a story consultant for Pixar Animation Studios, on films
including Pete Docter’s Up, as well as for the Film Commission of New South Wales.
Lynn spent three years as Vice President for the Fresh Produce Company. Prior to that she was
Creative Executive for Oscar-winning producer Mark Johnson. Before moving to Los Angeles,
Ms. Lynn practiced law at the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression in
Charlottesville, Virginia. She received her JD from the University of Virginia’s Law School and
a BA from its College of Arts and Sciences.
Lynn is married to Douglas Smith, an author and professor of American History. They have two
children, Zoe and Jack.
BONNIE CURTIS (Producer)
Bonnie Curtis was born in Texas and graduated as Valedictorian from Abilene Christian
University with a BA in journalism. She moved to Los Angeles with her first love in mind: film.
Curtis immediately found production work on the films Dead Poets Society and Arachnophobia
before being hired as Steven Spielberg’s assistant in 1990―embarking on what would become a
15-year professional relationship with the acclaimed director. After the films Hook and Jurassic
Park, Curtis became a Production Associate on Schindler’s List and served as Associate
Producer on The Lost World: Jurassic Park, and Amistad. In 1998 she Co-Produced the epic
blockbuster Saving Private Ryan, for which she received the Producer of the Year award from
the Producers Guild of America. Next came A.I. Artificial Intelligence, followed in 2002 by
Minority Report, starring Tom Cruise.
Fulfilling a longtime desire to work with a first-time filmmaker, Curtis produced The
Chumscrubber with Lawrence Bender (Good Will Hunting, An Inconvenient Truth) for first-time
director Arie Posin in 2005. The film starred Glenn Close, Ralph Fiennes and Jamie Bell and was
an official selection for both the Sundance Film Festival and South by Southwest Film Festival
as well as winning the “Audience Award for Best Film” at the Moscow Film Festival.
Next up was Albert Nobbs, starring Glenn Close, Mia Wasikowska, Aaron Johnson, Janet
McTeer, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Brendan Gleeson, which Rodrigo Garcia (Mother and
Child) directed in Dublin, Ireland. She produced the film with Close, Garcia’s longtime producer
Julie Lynn and Alan Moloney (Breakfast on Pluto). The film received three Academy Award
nominations.
“5 to 7” Press Notes p. 21
Following Albert Nobbs, Curtis partnered with fellow producer Julie Lynn under Lynn’s
production company banner: Mockingbird Pictures. Since then, Curtis and Lynn produced The
Face of Love, which Curtis' Chumscrubber director Posin co-wrote and directed. The film stars
Annette Bening, Ed Harris and Robin Williams, and was released on March 14, 2014.
Next up is Last Days in the Desert, starring Ewan McGregor, and written and to-be directed by
Rodrigo Garcia.
In 2002, Curtis was featured as one of 30 “Great Women of Film” in Helena Lumee’s bestselling book from Watson Guptill Press. In 2004, she was the recipient of the Women in Film
Topaz Award from the Dallas chapter. She has co-chaired GLSEN’s (Gay, Lesbian, Straight
Education Network) Respect Awards for the past five years and has served as an Honor Society
Member for the organization since 2005 and currently serves on the organization’s National
Leadership Council.
Curtis lives with her partner of 15 years, graphic artist Kim Lincoln, and their daughter Maggie.
SAM ENGLEBARDT (Producer)
Sam Englebardt is Co-Founder and CEO at Demarest Films, a film and television production and
financing company. At Demarest, Englebardt has produced or executive produced several films
to date, including Neil Jordan’s Byzantium, starring Saoirse Ronan, Gemma Arterton, Jonny Lee
Miller and Sam Riley; Max Nichols’ Two Night Stand, starring Miles Teller and Analeigh
Tipton; Robert Luketic’s Paranoia, starring Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman, Liam Hemsworth and
Amber Heard; Anton Corbijn’s A Most Wanted Man, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel
McAdams, Willem Dafoe and Robin Wright; and Robert Rodriguez’s Machete Kills.
Englebardt was previously a Partner and Managing Director at Lambert Media Group (LMG). At
LMG, he was responsible for developing new investment opportunities and overseeing a
portfolio of media and entertainment investments that includes Rave Motion Pictures (the fifthlargest chain of movie theatres in the U.S., recently sold to Cinemark), Village Roadshow
Pictures and Concord Music Group. Englebardt also lead LMG’s investments in several media
and entertainment related technology start-ups.
Prior to LMG, Englebardt served as Executive Vice President at Artfire Films and 7ate9
Entertainment and was a Founding Partner of Arrival Cinema, where he produced several
acclaimed independent films, including George A. Romero’s Diary of the Dead; Paris, Je
T’Aime; and David Mamet’s Edmond.
A licensed attorney in California, Englebardt earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School and
studied at Oxford University and the University of Colorado at Boulder, from which he
graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. Prior to his career in entertainment, Englebardt
worked for some of the world’s largest law firms. He is a member of the Board of Directors of
Variety – The Children’s Charity of Southern California.
“5 to 7” Press Notes p. 22
WILLIAM D. JOHNSON (Producer)
After graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, William Johnson followed family
tradition and went to work on Wall Street. His father, Charles Johnson, is the founder of Franklin
Templeton Mutual Funds. After 25 years as a successful retail broker and money manager,
Johnson turned his attention to the entertainment business. He partnered in 2011 with Sam
Englebardt and Michael Lambert of Lambert Media Group to form Demarest Films, a film and
television production company that applies a disciplined asset management approach to
entertainment investing.
At Demarest, Johnson has produced or executive produced six films to date, including Neil
Jordan’s Byzantium, starring Saoirse Ronan, Gemma Arterton, Jonny Lee Miller, and Sam Riley;
Max Nichols’ Two Night Stand, starring Miles Teller and Analeigh Tipton; Robert Luketic’s
Paranoia, starring Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman, Liam Hemsworth and Amber Heard; Anton
Corbijn’s A Most Wanted Man, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams, Willem
Dafoe, and Robin Wright; David Rosenthal’s A Single Shot, starring Sam Rockwell, William H.
Macy, Melissa Leo, and Jeffrey Wright; and Joseph Ruben’s Penthouse North, starring Michelle
Monaghan and Michael Keaton.
ARNAUD POTIER (Director of Photography)
Arnaud Potier has worked with some of the world’s finest directors including Bruno Aveillan,
Jean Baptiste Mondino, So Me, Reynald Gresset and Yoann Lemoine on many commercials and
music videos. He was director of photography on Tristan Aurouet’s Mineurs 27 and Jennifer
Devoldere’s Jusqu’a Toi, starring Justin Bartha and Melanie Laurent. Potier then began
collaborating with actress and director Melanie Laurent on her feature directorial debut Les
Adoptés and is currently shooting her new feature Respire.
JEANNINE OPPEWALL (Production Designer)
Jeannine Oppewall was born in Uxbridge, Massachusetts. She received an M.A. in literature
from Bryn Mawr College before moving to Los Angeles and finding work in the Office of
Charles and Ray Eames. At the time, Charles Eames was one of the world‘s most famous living
designers, known principally for his line of furniture for Herman Miller. But his Office also
made over 100 short personal, educational, and industrial films, many very inventive for their
time. It also produced large traveling exhibitions for different clients. So Oppewall learned
design at the feet of the master, so to speak.
After leaving the Eames Office, where she worked for about 8 years, Oppewall made radio
documentaries for KPFK Radio, did some freelance writing, and eventually found a place in the
art department of the film business, working for production designer Paul Sylbert. The first film
that Oppewall designed was Tender Mercies. More recently, she received Academy Award
nominations for L.A. Confidential, Pleasantville and Seabiscuit, and The Good Shepherd. Other
films for which she is known are Catch Me if You Can, The Bridges of Madison County and The
Music Box.
“5 to 7” Press Notes p. 23
Oppewall served for 9 years on the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts
and Sciences, where she co-chaired the Museum Committee. She is currently on the Academy’s
Foreign Language Film Executive Committee.
HEIDI BIVENS (Costume Designer)
Heidi Bivens has worked extensively in film, commercials, music videos, and print. Bivens
credits include David Lynch's Inland Empire, Luca Guadagnino's short films Here and Walking
Stories, and numerous commercials and music videos directed by Michel Gondry. Most recently
she created the costumes for the hyper reality of director Harmony Korine's feature film Spring
Breakers, starring James Franco, Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens.
MATT MADDOX (Editor)
Matt Maddox is a Georgia native living in Los Angeles. In addition to 5 to 7, Maddox has also
edited the feature film The Face of Love, which had its premiere at the Toronto International
Film Festival in 2013 and starred Ed Harris, Annette Bening, and Robin Williams. In 2011,
Maddox was an additional editor on the Oscar nominated feature Albert Nobbs directed by
Rodrigo Garcia (Nine Lives, Mother and Child). His debut feature as an editor took him to Berlin
for Paul Cotter's Bomber which became an official selection at SXSW in 2009. As an assistant
editor, he has contributed to several feature films including Hope Springs, Paranormal Activity
2, Killers, He’s Just Not That Into You, The Great Buck Howard and has served in the editorial
departments of Universal’s The Perfect Man and In Good Company. Maddox also produced and
directed the documentary feature The Pride of Broken Arrow. He resides in the cozy
neighborhood of Atwater Village, where he watches old French films and enjoys breakfast
burritos from Tacos Villa Corona.
DANNY BENSI and SAUNDER JURRIAANS (Composers)
Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans are 2 contemporary film composers working together in
New York. Bensi is an internationally-raised musician who studied the cello and received a
degree in music. Jurriaans is a guitarist and vocalist heralding from the indie rock music scene in
Seattle. For several years, they played in bands touring extensively in North America
and Europe where they even opened for Pearl Jam in 2010. They were approached to score their
first project Two Gates of Sleep, directed by Allistair Banks Griffin, which premiered in
Cannes. The film demanded a unique sounding orchestral score that soon had other directors
reaching out. From Johnny Greenwood-esque Avant-Garde Classical music to Rock music and
everything in between, the composer duo have been approached to score an array of awardwinning edgy films and documentaries including Martha Marcy May Marlene, Simon Killer, The
One I Love, Bluebird and Enemy.
“5 to 7” Press Notes p. 24
CREDITS
Unit Production Manager PETER PASTORELLI
First Assistant Director THOMAS FATONE
Second Assistant Director DAVID BLAZINA
CAST
(in order of appearance)
Brian Bloom
Arielle Pierpont
Jim the Doorman
Valéry Pierpont
Governess
Marc Pierpont
Elodie Pierpont
Alan Gilbert
Julian Bond
Daniel Boulud
Jane Hastings
Pamela Sue Horowitz
Kajsa William-Olsson
Arlene Bloom
Waiter
Sam Bloom
Garage Cashier
David Remnick
Jonathan Galassi
Kiva Bloom
ANTON YELCHIN
BÉRÉNICE MARLOHE
DAVID SHANNON
LAMBERT WILSON
AMINA ROBINSON
MILO MUGNIER JACOB
BRUNE DE DREUILLE
SENECTERRE
HIMSELF
HIMSELF
HIMSELF
OLIVIA THIRLBY
HERSELF
HERSELF
GLENN CLOSE
JOE D’ONOFRIO
FRANK LANGELLA
DOV TIEFENBACH
HIMSELF
ERIC STOLTZ
JOCELYN DEBOER
Stunt Coordinators MANNY SIVERIO
ELLIOT SANTIAGO
ADR Loop Group CORY KUHLMANN
GEORGIA SIMON
SKIP STELLRECHT
KAREN STRASSMAN
“5 to 7” Press Notes p. 25
PRODUCTION
Production Supervisor MARSHALL JOHNSON
Script Supervisor RACHEL CONNORS PHILLIPPE
Camera/Steadicam Operator RAY COLLINS
1st Assistant Camera
2nd Assistant Camera
B Camera 1st Assistant Camera
B Camera 2nd Assistant Camera
Additional 1st Assistant Cameras
Additional 2nd Assistant Cameras
Additional Steadicam Operator
Steadicam 1st Assistant Camera
Steadicam 2nd Assistant Camera
DITs
Projection Tech
Video Playback
Camera Utility
Camera Intern
COREY GEGNER
JAMES SCHLITTENHART
JENNIE JEDDRY
JOHN P. FITZPATRICK
DAVID FEENEY-MOSIER
STEPHANIE SIMPSON
JULIEN ZEITOUNI
MIKE LOBB
MIKE SWEARIGEN
COLE KOEHLER
NICOLE COSGROVE
GEORGE BIANCHINI
ROBERT BULLARD
SAMANTHA SILVER
KEITH PUTNAM
GUILLERMO TUÑON
JAMES DOMORSKI
NEIL BLEIFELD
RODRIGO MILLAN
DOMINIC GALEANO
Still Photographer WALTER THOMSON
Gaffer
Best Boy Electric
Genny Operator
Company Electric
Additional Electrics
SHAWN GREENE
TOM CRILLEY
PATRICK LYNCH
MIKE DIAZ
TAMURA BAKR
WILLIAM JACKSON
KYLE LUTZ
JIM MARTIN
ALBERT PHANEUF
“5 to 7” Press Notes p. 26
ANDREW SADTLER
SEAN TAYLOR
BRIAN WOODS
Key Grip ROB HARLOW
Best Boy Grips ABRAHAM ALTBUCH
CHRIS VIDAIC
Key Dolly Grips JOE DOUGHAN
DAVE GANCZEWSKI
Company Grip DAN VRANESICH
Additional Grips JEREMY CONLEY
DYLAN CRAWSHAY-WILLIAMS
MATTHEW FARRELL
GAVIN HOLMES
ERINNE LUKANIEC
LINDSEY PEARSALL
MICHAEL STERLACCI
ERIC WILLIAMS
Balloon Tech MATTHEW J. MONAHAN
Sound Mixer KEN ISHII, CAS
Boom Operator JOE ORIGLIERI
Sound Utilities ERIC WALENDZINSKI
ANGUIBE GUINDO
Make-up Department Head MAYA HARDINGE
Key Make-Up Artist RONDI SCOTT
Additional Make-Up Artists JILL ASTMANN
MANDY BISESTI
ELDO RAY ESTES
DAWN TUNNELL
STEPHANIE WISE
Hair Department Head SARAH HINDSGAUL
Key Hair Stylist HANDRI GUNAWAN
Additional Hair Stylists ROMA DEMARTINO
KAREN DICKINSON
“5 to 7” Press Notes p. 27
Music Services provided by CUTTING EDGE
Associate Producers TARA MOROSS
CHARLES M. BARSAMIAN
Music Supervisor LAURA KATZ
Music Licensing MEGHAN KOZLOSKY
Composer Assistant CHASE DESO
Music Transcriber JUSTIN ABENE
Additional Music JAY LIFTON
Solo Flute KEITH BONNER
Solo Piano JAY ISRAELSON
SONGS
“Diner”
Written by Martin Sexton & Ned Claflin
Performed by Martin Sexton
Courtesy of Kitchen Table Records
“Le Temps de L’amour”
Written by Jacques Dutronc, Lucien Morisse& Andre Salvet
Performed by Terra Naomi
Courtesy of Editions Musicales ALPHA &Cutting Edge Music (Holdings) Ltd.
“Mal De Amores”
Written by Jay Lifton & Patricia Iglesias
Performed Patricia Iglesias
Courtesy of Cutting Edge Music (Holdings) Ltd.
“Whiskey And Rye”
Written & Performed by Ian Honeyman
Courtesy of Cutting Edge Music (Holdings) Ltd.
By arrangement with 4AM Music Limited
“Le Ciel Dans Une Chambre”
Written by Carla Bruni & Gino Paoli
Performed by Terra Naomi
Courtesy of Cutting Edge Music (Holdings) Ltd.
“Welcome To Our Home”
Written & Performed by Jay Lifton
Courtesy of Cutting Edge Music (Holdings) Ltd.
“Symphony No. 5 in C-Sharp Minor, I.Trauermarsch”
Written by Gustav Mahler
“5 to 7” Press Notes p. 28
Performed by Jay Liftonf. Anthony Kadlek on Trumpet
Courtesy of Cutting Edge Music (Holdings) Ltd.
“Piano Cocktail Party”
Written by Brett Boyett & Tony Campodonico
Performed by Tony Campodonico
Courtesy of Brett Boyett Music
“5 to 7” Press Notes p. 29