Gare du Nord (2013)
10/10
French director Claire Simon does an excellent job by making a film about French capital's most famous railway station.
10 January 2014
Gare Du Nord (Paris North Railway Station) is more than a mere railway station where innumerable passengers board not only metro trains but also high speed trains to go to other French as well as European cities. If one sees "Gare Du Nord" from this angle of importance then it would appear to many as an important institution, a famous landmark, a symbol of Paris city's multicultural heritage. However, it is said that nobody is perfect. This is one reason why "Gare Du Nord" too has its share of negative qualities as its gangs and their violence contribute to give a bad name to this metro station. All these elements are an integral part of "Gare Du Nord". It can be said that whether one lives in Paris or is in Paris as a tourist, the never ending, everlasting magic of "Gare Du Nord" is so immense that it simply captivates anybody who comes under its spell. Apart from the train station which is the main "hero" of the film, narrative action of the film surges ahead with the emotion involvement of four different players : Ismael-a young student with the tough job of conducting surveys about SNCF (French national railways) , Mathilde- an old lady who crosses the station on a daily basis, Joan-A young woman who doubts whether she made the right choice of her life by having studied marketing and Sacha-a man who would leave no stone unturned in order to find his lost daughter. The pace of this film is extremely fast and there are no boring moments at all as all actors have done ample justice to their roles especially Reda Kateb who looks convincing as a student forced to conduct surveys to finance his studies. Lastly, "Gare Du Nord" is a perfect example of a well made film where everybody has a role to play.
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