What Is They Were Five About?
The premise of They Were Five in 315 words, with nothing given away. The full story follows below.
markdown In the working-class corners of Paris, five unemployed men find solace in a friendship built on shared uncertainty and small daily pleasures. Jeannot, Jacques, Tintin, Charlot, and Mario navigate the quiet desperation of life without steady work, their bond offering a rare sense of belonging in an indifferent world. Each man carries his own private weight: Charlot is tethered to his wife Gina, whose presence casts an ambiguous shadow over the group, while Mario, an undocumented immigrant from Spain, clings to fresh hopes with his engagement to Huguette.
When fortune unexpectedly turns their way through a national lottery prize, the five friends face a choice that could redefine their lives. Rather than scatter to separate pursuits, they embrace a collective vision — pooling their winnings to purchase a ruined laundry building along the banks of the Marne. Their dream: to transform the decay into a guinguette, a vibrant open-air café and dance hall where labor and companionship could merge into something enduring. Under the leadership of Jeannot’s conviction, they commit to living on site, working from dawn till dusk, and betting everything on each other.
Yet money has a way of exposing fault lines that friendship once papered over. As the project takes shape under the sunlit skies of the French countryside, personal ambitions and old loyalties begin to rub against one another. The very qualities that drew these men together — their humor, their resilience, their dreams — become the testing ground for something far more fragile. The guinguette represents not just a business venture, but a question: can solidarity survive when the stakes grow real?
What unfolds is a meditation on luck, trust, and the volatile currents of human desire — a story that asks how quickly fortune can redraw the boundaries between friends, and whether the ties that bind are strong enough to hold when temptation and circumstance pull them apart.
What Happens in They Were Five?
The complete story of They Were Five, from the first scene to the last, in 454 words (about 2 minutes). Spoilers throughout.
Spoilers ahead
Five unemployed men in Paris form a tight circle of friends: Jeannot [Jean Gabin], Jacques [Jacques Baumer], Tintin [Raymond Aimos], Charlot [Charles Vanel], and Mario [Raphaël Médina]. Their lives take a sharp turn when Charlot’s wife Gina [Viviane Romance]—a fact only Charlot knows well—remains a shadowy presence among them, while Mario, an illegal immigrant from Spain, has just become engaged to Huguette [Micheline Cheirel]. The sudden windfall of a national lottery prize jolts their routine, igniting a mix of excitement and doubt as they weigh what to do with their newfound wealth.
After long, lively debates led by Jeannot, the group decides to pool the winnings and invest in a dream they can all share. They row up the river Marne to scope out a ruined laundry, envisioning a living, breathing social space: a guinguette, a riverside restaurant and dance hall where work and companionship would fuse into something larger than their individual lives. The plan is ambitious: live on site, work from dawn till dusk, and let their camaraderie grow into something enduring. The project becomes a test of loyalty, trust, and the limits of friendship as personalities clash and bonds deepen.
As the days pass, the group’s dynamic strains under the pressure of money and risk. Tintin, ever the court jester, performs his antics high on the roof, a moment of levity that ends in tragedy when he falls fatally. Jacques, whose presence anchored the early harmony, vanishes with his share, leaving a gap that unsettles everyone. Mario, facing expulsion, makes a rash, final bid for security by marrying Huguette, a decision that ripples through the circle and unsettles loyalties still forming. With these upheavals, Jeannot and Charlot are left to navigate the wreckage of their plans and their relationships—Charlot’s lingering grip on Gina’s affections and the lure of a larger slice of the winnings pulling them in opposing directions.
In the wake of upheaval, the fragile balance among the five men teeters on the edge of fracture. Charlot’s ambitions and Gina’s entanglements pull at the edges of their arrangements, testing whether the dream of the guinguette can survive the temptations of wealth and desire. The narrative unfolds with two possible destinies. In the original pessimistic version, Jeannot’s jealousy erupts, and he shoots Charlot, tearing apart their fragile alliance. In a later, re-shot ending, the film pivots toward optimism, showing the two men choosing friendship over betrayal, uniting against the manipulations of the swirling emotional current around Gina. The result is a story that examines how quickly luck can redraw loyalties, and how quickly fate can swing between tragedy and fellowship, all set against the rustic, sunlit backdrop of a project born from shared dreams and the volatile spark of human desire.
They Were Five Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
12 key events in the order they happen, from “Lottery win changes lives” to “Aftermath and ambiguity”. 12 events name a place, across 7 locations.
- 1
Lottery win changes lives
Five unemployed men in Paris win the national lottery in a syndicate, dramatically changing their ordinary lives. The windfall promises new possibilities while testing their friendships. Jeannot, who tends to lead, helps steer the group toward a common plan.
Where:Paris, France
- 2
Pooling the winnings
After much discussion, they decide to pool the winnings and run their venture together. Jeannot takes the lead in shaping the plan and presenting it to the group. The idea is to turn their luck into lasting independence.
Where:Paris, France
- 3
Marne trip and guinguette plan
Rowing up the river Marne, they inspect a ruined laundry and agree to convert it into a guinguette, a riverside restaurant and dance hall. They envisage living on site and working together to build the business. The project tests their friendships as personalities and loyalties begin to show.
Where:River Marne, near Paris
- 4
Building a life on site
They move in and begin the conversion, turning sweat equity into a working venue. Living on site tightens bonds but also magnifies underlying tensions about money and control. The daily grind glues them together even as disagreements simmer.
Where:Guinguette site on the Marne
- 5
Tintin's fatal accident
Tintin plays the fool on the rooftop and falls fatally, shocking the group. His death becomes a stark turning point that strains the group's newly forged bond. The tragedy casts a pall over their plans.
Where:Guinguette on the Marne
- 6
Jacques vanishes with his share
Jacques disappears with his share of the winnings, sowing distrust and panic among the others. The vanishing money undermines their unity and questions their ability to share responsibility. This departure foreshadows deeper cracks in their friendships.
Where:Guinguette vicinity, Marne
- 7
Mario's expulsion and hurried marriage
Mario receives notice of expulsion as an immigrant and hastily marries Huguette to secure his future. The marriage changes his ties to the group and shifts the balance of loyalties. The urgency underscores the precariousness of their new life.
Where:Paris
- 8
Rift over Gina
Jeannot and Charlot's relationship frays over Gina, who is Charlot's wife. Charlot seeks to control her and claim a stake in the winnings, while Jeannot is drawn into Gina's influence. The atmosphere grows tense as rumours and resentment spread.
Where:Guinguette on the Marne
- 9
Charlot manipulates Jeannot
Charlot seduces the receptive Jeannot, exploiting his jealousy for Gina and money. The dynamic tests their friendship and blurs moral lines within the group. The tension sets up the climactic confrontation.
Where:Guinguette on the Marne
- 10
Pessimistic ending: Jeannot kills Charlot
In the original pessimistic ending, Jeannot's jealousy drives him to shoot Charlot dead. The shooting ends their camaraderie and leaves Gina's role starkly exposed. The bleak finale emphasizes tragedy over reconciliation.
Where:Guinguette on the Marne
- 11
Optimistic ending: unity against Gina
In the re-shot optimistic ending, Jeannot and Charlot put aside their differences and unite as friends against Gina's wiles. The two men confront the women’s influence together, choosing solidarity over betrayal. The film presents an alternate, hopeful conclusion.
Where:Guinguette on the Marne
- 12
Aftermath and ambiguity
The closing notes leave the fates of Jacques, Mario, and the guinguette's future open to interpretation. Gina's manipulation lingers as a reminder of how money and desire fracture fellowship. The two endings imply different futures for the group and the enterprise.
Where:Paris / Marne area
Who Are the Main Characters in They Were Five?
6 characters, among them Jeannot (Jean Gabin), Charlot (Charles Vanel) and Tintin (Raymond Aimos): who each one is and the part they play in the story. Every profile links to the actor’s page.
- J(
Jeannot (Jean Gabin)
Played by Jean Gabin
One of the five friends and the de facto leader of the group. He is pragmatic and sociable, steering the plan to pool the lottery winnings and rebuild their lives. His loyalty is tested by jealousy toward Gina, revealing a vulnerable and imperfect side that strains friendships.
- 🤝 Leader
- 🗣️ Charismatic
- 😡 Jealous
-
Charlot (Charles Vanel)
Played by Charles Vanel
An older, shrewd member who left his faithless wife Gina; He is calculating and persuasive, orchestrating moves to maximize gain. He resists being sidelined and uses charm to influence Jeannot, creating a rift within the group.
- 🧠 Cunning
- 💼 Manipulative
- 💰 Ambitious
- T(
Tintin (Raymond Aimos)
Played by Raymond Aimos
One of the five friends who provides comic relief with a carefree, foolish demeanor. His rooftop antics mask a willingness to take risks, and his death becomes a pivotal, tragic moment that tests the survivors.
- 🃏 Fool
- 😢 Tragic
- M(
Mario (Raphaël Medina)
Played by Raphaël Médina
An illegal immigrant from Spain engaged to Huguette. He faces expulsion and quickly marries Huguette to secure his future, showing pragmatism amid precarious circumstances.
- 🌐 Immigrant
- 💍 Engaged
- ⚖️ Expulsion
- G(
Gina (Viviane Romance)
Played by Viviane Romance
Charlot's wife and a focal point of jealousy and manipulation. Her allure and shifting loyalties drive plot tensions, testing the men’s trust and relationships within the group.
- 💃 Seductive
- 💔 Unfaithful
- 🎭 Schemer
- H(
Huguette (Micheline Cheirel)
Played by Micheline Cheirel
Mario's fiancée who marries him to avoid expulsion and to secure a future. She navigates the group’s shifting loyalties and becomes entangled in the money-and-love dynamic that drives the plot.
- 💍 Fiancée
- 💞 Hopeful
- 🧭 Pragmatic
Where and When Is They Were Five Set?
They Were Five is set in Paris and Marne River (1930s). Here is why the time and place matter to the story.
When
1930s
Set in interwar Paris, the narrative sits in a period of economic strain and shifting social norms. A syndicate wins the national lottery, prompting bold plans to reinvent their lives. The urgency and energy of the era influence the characters’ readiness to take risks for a better future.
Where
Paris, Marne River
The story unfolds in Paris with the Marne river setting providing the backdrop for social life. The protagonists discover a ruined laundry along the river and convert it into a guinguette, a riverside restaurant and dance hall. The riverbank location becomes a focal point for camaraderie, work, and the evolving dynamics among the five friends.
- 🌆 Paris
- 🏞️ Marne River
- 🎶 Guinguette culture
What Are the Themes of They Were Five?
4 ideas the story keeps returning to, among them Friendship, Greed and Jealousy.
-
01
Friendship
Five unemployed men form a tight bond after the lottery win and pool their money to create a shared project. Their camaraderie is tested as plans unfold and tensions surface. The film tracks how loyalty and cooperation endure, even as pride and desire threaten the group.
-
02
Greed
The windfall becomes a catalyst for competition and manipulation. A share disappears, and others are drawn into schemes to control the money. Wealth tests loyalties and exposes how easily trust can erode when fortune is at stake.
-
03
Jealousy
Gina's presence heightens romantic tension between Jeannot and Charlot. Jealous impulses drive decisions and could lead to violence, forcing the men to choose between friendship and personal desire. The dynamic contrasts communal aim with intimate longing.
-
04
Space & Transformation
The ruined laundry on the Marne is rebuilt into a guinguette, symbolizing a shift from hardship to communal leisure. Living and working on-site intensifies bonds and reveals fault lines within the group. The physical transformation mirrors the characters’ evolving loyalties and ambitions.
What Kind of Film Is They Were Five?
Bittersweet in tone, with steady pacing and a moderate story, going by the plot summary.
- Tone
- Bittersweet
- Pacing
- Steady
- Story
- Moderate
- Intensity
- Medium
- Ending
- Mixed
A bittersweet portrayal of friendship fractured by sudden fortune, moving from hopeful beginnings in a charming river setting to a tragic descent into jealousy and loss.
- melancholic
- hopeful
- tragic
- nostalgic
- brooding
- idyllic
- friendship
- betrayal
- ambition
- debts
Content notes: accidental death, murder, gun violence.
Where to Watch They Were Five
Stream it on Criterion Channel. US availability and prices from JustWatch.
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