Genre: Romantic Drama | Independent Romance | Bittersweet Love Story
Victor Levin’s 5 to 7 (2014) is a wistful, old-fashioned romantic drama that feels like a love letter to the idea that sometimes the most meaningful relationships are the ones that can never quite fit into the conventional boxes of life. Sweet, talky, and unapologetically sentimental, the film gently explores an affair defined not just by love, but by boundaries that can’t be crossed.
Set in New York City, the story follows Brian Bloom (Anton Yelchin), a young, struggling writer who drifts through his days in search of inspiration. One afternoon outside a Manhattan hotel, he meets Arielle (Bérénice Marlohe), a beautiful, sophisticated French woman who is immediately open, warm, and disarmingly honest. The two strike up an instant connection—one that feels like it belongs to another era, all witty banter, long walks, and stolen glances.
There’s just one catch: Arielle is married, and her husband knows. In her world, affairs are not only accepted but carefully structured—conducted openly, discretely, and only during agreed-upon hours: 5 to 7 p.m. weekdays. For Brian, this arrangement is both intoxicating and heartbreaking. He falls deeply for Arielle, swept up in her world of fine wine, art, and Parisian charm. But as their love grows, so does the ache of knowing that from 5 to 7 they can be everything to each other—and after that, they are strangers again.
What sets 5 to 7 apart is how gracefully it balances romantic fantasy and melancholy realism. It’s light on scandal and heavy on gentle, thoughtful dialogue about the nature of love, marriage, compromise, and cultural differences. Anton Yelchin brings a quiet earnestness to Brian—hopeful, awkward, and deeply sincere. Bérénice Marlohe is luminous as Arielle, radiating an old-world elegance that makes you understand why Brian is so willing to break his own rules for her.
The film is peppered with delightful supporting roles—Frank Langella and Glenn Close shine as Brian’s witty, skeptical parents, adding warmth and humor to a story that could easily feel too dreamy without them. Levin’s direction is simple but romantic, filling New York’s streets, cafes, and hotel bars with an almost Parisian glow.
5 to 7 is not a story about a grand, sweeping love that conquers all—it’s about a fleeting affair that can only exist within its fragile window of time. It asks if loving someone for an hour a day is better than not loving them at all—and whether a relationship that must end can still shape who you become.
For some, the film’s old-fashioned charm and open-hearted sentiment may feel too idealistic or slight. But for those who enjoy quiet, bittersweet romances—stories where the real love story is the memory left behind—5 to 7 is a gentle, elegant reminder that not all great loves are meant to last forever. Some simply exist to remind us that our hearts are bigger and braver than we think.
