This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jan/28/gare-du-nord-first-look-review

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Gare du Nord – first look review Gare du Nord – first look review
(2 months later)
One of the best of the dozens of films at this year's Rotterdam film festival to deal with immigration, Claire Simon's part-fictional, part-factual Gare du Nord takes place entirely inside the cavernous Paris train station.One of the best of the dozens of films at this year's Rotterdam film festival to deal with immigration, Claire Simon's part-fictional, part-factual Gare du Nord takes place entirely inside the cavernous Paris train station.
See if this film is playing near you
Loosely, it tells the story of Mathilde (Nicole Garcia), a university professor and ageing beauty who is undergoing chemotherapy, and the much younger Ismaël (Reda Kateb), a French-born Arab student who is doing his PhD on the "global village square" that is the Gare. They cross paths; the confident and slightly chippy Ismaël pursues the surprised and flattered Mathilde; they make out in the utility closet. Their lives brush up against those of various others: a TV personality searching for his lost daughter; a transient real estate agent fighting to preserve her marriage.Loosely, it tells the story of Mathilde (Nicole Garcia), a university professor and ageing beauty who is undergoing chemotherapy, and the much younger Ismaël (Reda Kateb), a French-born Arab student who is doing his PhD on the "global village square" that is the Gare. They cross paths; the confident and slightly chippy Ismaël pursues the surprised and flattered Mathilde; they make out in the utility closet. Their lives brush up against those of various others: a TV personality searching for his lost daughter; a transient real estate agent fighting to preserve her marriage.
The real story of the film, however, is that of the shopkeepers, security guards, cleaners, drug dealers, families and madmen whom Ismaël interviews. Through him, we eavesdrop on their lives, and not a single one of them tells a boring story – from the Congolese black marketeer with the denim addiction to the unemployed Italian factory worker who thinks his shrink has installed tiny cameras behind his eyeballs.The real story of the film, however, is that of the shopkeepers, security guards, cleaners, drug dealers, families and madmen whom Ismaël interviews. Through him, we eavesdrop on their lives, and not a single one of them tells a boring story – from the Congolese black marketeer with the denim addiction to the unemployed Italian factory worker who thinks his shrink has installed tiny cameras behind his eyeballs.
Simon shot a companion documentary, Geographies Humaines, simultaneously with this film – a fact that helps explain why the somewhat forced, not strictly realistic nature of the conversations doesn't jar. Their unscripted honesty and amateur performances hold your attention, just as the improbable yet weirdly plausible love affair between Mathilde and Ismaël is given vitality and passion by two utterly believable performances from Garcia and Kateb.Simon shot a companion documentary, Geographies Humaines, simultaneously with this film – a fact that helps explain why the somewhat forced, not strictly realistic nature of the conversations doesn't jar. Their unscripted honesty and amateur performances hold your attention, just as the improbable yet weirdly plausible love affair between Mathilde and Ismaël is given vitality and passion by two utterly believable performances from Garcia and Kateb.
The film's a bit long, and has a light supernatural dusting that won't be to everyone's taste. "Be careful," a woman warns Mathilde. "There are dead people in the crowd." Simon reminds us how many living ones there are, too.The film's a bit long, and has a light supernatural dusting that won't be to everyone's taste. "Be careful," a woman warns Mathilde. "There are dead people in the crowd." Simon reminds us how many living ones there are, too.