THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN is not an easy film to watch. The pacing is a strange combination of slow and disjointed, but the overall result is not all bad. In fact, the strangest thing about this film, directed co-written by André Téchiné, is that despite the awkwardness of the film it maintains a certain level of intrigue that asks the viewer to keep watching, even when they’re unclear as to exactly where the story is going or why.
André Téchiné (WILD REEDS) weaves a coming-of-age story with a story of young ignorant love, focusing on the experience of a young woman named Jeanne, played by Émilie Dequenne. Jeanne lives with her widowed mother Louise, played by the ever-magnificent Catherine Deneuve, who seems to serve more as a friend and roommate than a mother at times. The two women are very much alike in some ways, despite their difference in age, both are independent but otherwise relative loaners.
The story begins as Jeanne roller blades by herself, but finds she has attracted the interest of a young man who has taken it upon himself to follow her. Uneasy by the attention, Jeanne seeks shelter in a nearby shop, only to be discovered and cornered by the young man named Franck (Nicolas Duvauchelle). Franck turns out to be a relative gentleman, having taken an honest interest in Jeanne for which he interprets as love at first sight and the two begin to develop feelings.
Meanwhile, Téchiné constructs the story of the Bleistein’s, a dysfunctional Jewish family. Samuel, the patriarch of the family and successful lawyer, plans to pay for his grandson’s Bar Mitzvah, while the boy’s divorced parents muddle through an awkward reunion of anger and regret, torn between their differences and their lingering love for each other. Throughout the film, Téchiné works towards bringing these two stories together. The drawback is that it seems to take forever before the stories finally collide, resulting in a scene intended to be more shocking than it was effective.
After Jeanne experiences a tragic relationship obstacle far from her normal comfort zone, she seems to have something of a breakdown that leads to her own psychological ordeal, affecting both her mother and the Bleistein family. While this scene is less immediately shocking than it is bewildering in its onset suddenness and curious obscurity, its effectiveness lies more in the bizarre string of circumstances that arise from Jeanne’s creation.
THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN begins slowly, but the attention given to Jeanne and her seemingly uneventful life captures the audience’s interest in her potential story. Téchiné’s choice of lingering shots, warm lighting and upbeat, slightly techno-ambient music enhances these moments to a level of primal human wonder, stirring the sense of intrigue as its clear something is going to happen to this average but attractive “good” girl.
In this way, THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN presents itself as part mystery, instilling a touch of subtle suspense as the story unfolds. There’s an element of social commentary, buried shallow within the film, but the essence of this movie lies in the youthful, often confused perception of the world and how it works. The 105-minute running time feels much longer, which is due in part to the randomness of the film’s structure and lulls in the story that detract from it’s strengths.
THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN is an interesting character study, but requires a certain level of patience and willingness to endure working for the final outcome. Audiences may find themselves leaving the theater truly wanting to have appreciated and enjoyed the experience, but may have difficulty forgiving the exhausted sensation of fighting to stay awake one moment and struggling to stay on track with the intent of the story the next moment.
Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
