The Fifth Element (1997) — "It Mu5t Be Found." (with Carly Jo Cave)
"It Mu5t Be Found."
Four words. A secret number hidden in the spelling. And a film that couldn't have been sold any other way.
Nate is joined by his friend of over two decades — admin professional, cook, and self-described biggest Fifth Element nerd on the planet, Carley Jo Cave (Instagram: @shiny_multipass, which is exactly what you think it is) — to dig into Luc Besson's The Fifth Element (1997) and one of the most typographically clever taglines in blockbuster history: "It Mu5t Be Found." The "5" replacing the S wasn't just a stylistic choice — it secretly embedded the film's title number into the copy before audiences even knew what the movie was called. The writer? Unknown. Of course.
"It Mu5t Be Found."
Look at it again. The "5" replacing the S isn't just a design flourish — it's a smuggling operation. Months before audiences knew the title, before any cast had been announced, before a single frame had been shown, the marketing team hid the number FIVE inside the word "Must" on a teaser poster. The tagline is doing two jobs at once: the words promise urgency around an unnamed "it," while the typography has already told you what "it" is. That is sophisticated, layered, graphic-driven copywriting — and the person who thought of it has never been named.
Which is appropriate. Because the "it" the tagline is asking you to find turns out not to be an object at all. It's Leeloo. And even more specifically, by the film's extraordinary ending, it's LOVE — an abstract emotional force that the entire plot has been building toward without ever announcing itself. A teaser that seemed to be about a missing macguffin was actually about a missing truth. Five words that work completely differently once you've seen the film than they did before you bought the ticket.
Joining Nate for this one is his friend of over twenty years — admin professional, cook, and by her own unambiguous declaration, the biggest Fifth Element nerd on the planet — Carley Jo Cave. Her Instagram handle is @shiny_multipass. If you know, you know. If you don't, you will by the end of this episode.
Along the way: Jean-Paul Gaultier designing nearly every costume in the film, including Leeloo's iconic bandage outfit. Comic book legends Moebius and Jean-Claude Mézières bringing their entire visual universe to Pinewood Studios. Chris Tucker's Ruby Rhod — reportedly turned down by Prince and Will Smith before Tucker said yes. The film that opened the 50th Cannes Film Festival and became the highest-grossing French film in history at that time. And the five other documented taglines — including "Is it love or live?" which quietly spoils the entire ending if you know where to look.
Multipass.
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Carley Jo Cave is an admin professional, cook, and by her own unambiguous declaration, the biggest Fifth Element nerd on the planet. Her Instagram handle is @shiny_multipass. If you know, you know.
🔗 @shiny_multipass on Instagram
