User Reviews

Interesting argument about the life surrounding the train station in Paris. Much of the lifes there are from immigrants so the movie seems a bit of a documentary about the experiences felt by the almost real persons - are they actors?.

There's a twist about a supernatural power witch we amazingly confuse with the love felt about one person.

The picture is sometimes darker than one might look for as the action walks by the subway and the train station.

Sometimes there are people looking to the camera giving the experience a bit of an negative impact.

Overall it is a worthy movie but the 110 minutes makes it a bit lengthy as the action passes almost always in the train station, with the same people.

It is a way to feel in any huge station around the word. But the immigrants photos are great. Thought it was made in 2013, it seems 2016. I think the roles are fancy interpreted. I wen to see in the french festival 2016 at Bogota, other ways never would see it because it was not at movies. When the dogs appears, I Thoug it was finish in bad way, but it was tender the role it had. The aspect of Sacha seemed to me like a bad person, it was very nice to discover how sweet he was. Finally the role of the "vieille" is the tenderness of all. Her poor self-esteem is marvelous transformed by the young guy. I recommended but for film buff

The movie tells the stories of Ismael, Mathilde, Joan and Sacha, four characters linked to the Gare du Nord for various reasons: Ismael, a student, conducts satisfaction surveys in order to finance his studies; Mathilde, a former professor of social sciences, transits through the station each day to reach a clinic in order to follow a medical treatment; Joan, a real estate agent, meets her clients at the station, hoping they will show up on time; finally, Sacha hopes to find his runaway daughter at the station.

Strolling repeatedly around the station, these protagonists meet and start building relationships, notably Ismael and Mathilde, who are mutually attracted despite their age difference.

Through this movie on converging existences, Claire Simon draws a vivid portrait of the station, but above all, a touching portrait of human nature.

The Gare du Nord is more than a functional transit area. It is a social space on its own, with its inhabitants, its rules, its myths. People from all horizons fill the station day and night, with their hopes and fears, their strengths and weaknesses. The narration is subtle, and the movie delicately blends realism, humor and poetry. One ends up charmed by this station, its hectic pace, and its occupants.

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.