BERLIN -- Train rides can run the gamut, from the anxiety of catching a train to the excitement of a journey and tedium of long waits and nettlesome fellow passengers. Thus, Tickets -- a directorial triptych in which Italy's Ermanno Olmi, Iran's Abbas Kiarostami and Britain's Ken Loach combine to stage three different stories all set on the same intercity train from Central Europe to Rome -- is all of these things. Sometimes engrossing and at other times tiresome, the movie is a real mixed bag.
Each of the three short stories -- which feature overlapping characters and actions jointly directed -- contains arresting moments. Collectively though, the movie fails to live up to its pedigree. Tickets is a natural for festivals and special distribution, but boxoffice will be tepid.
The order of the directors' billing indicates the sequence of their work. Remarkably, there are no abrupt stylistic changes despite separate cinematographers, editors and writers. (Paul Laverty wrote the Loach episode while the other directors wrote their own).
Olmi's opening act makes good use of the format by going for a single emotional effect in a cinematic fragment. A professor Carlo Delle Piane), forced to take the train when his plans called for air travel, reflects back on his day and his life.
He thinks of the gracious and attractive Austrian PR lady Valeria Bruni Tedeschi), who smoothed his way to the train, flirted with him at the station, then vanished from his life. Such thoughts mingle with childhood memories that underscore the transitory nature of life.
Kiarostami's episode sees a bullying and overweight woman Silvana De Santis) climb aboard with a beleaguered young man (Filippo Trojano), assigned to help her as part of his National Service. She sits in first-class seats reserved for others and finds creative ways to annoy everyone, including her servant.
Escaping from her for a moment, the lad engages in a flirtatious conversation with a young girl (Carolina Benvenga) who comes from the same town and knows him better than he realizes. When the woman again starts to harass him, he simply disappears and she cannot find him.
Loach's piece has three young and boisterous Scottish soccer fans (Martin Compston, William Ruane and Gary Maitland) travel on an impulsive journey to see their favorite club play in Rome. They encounter an Albanian boy (Klajdi Qorraj) wearing a Manchester United shirt and generously give him and his family some food. When one fan realizes his train ticket is missing, the three suspect that the boy stole it. When their suspicions are confirmed, his older sister (Blerta Cahani) tearfully explains the family's perilous predicament.
This is the most fully realized of the three tales as it demonstrates the richest sense of character, suspense and action. In the other two, the annoying woman is all too annoying and the professor's reveries are rather thin.
Shooting aboard a moving train, the filmmaking collective certainly capture the spirit of a chaotic train trip while introducing a few memorably characters.
TICKETS
A Fandango and Sixteen Films production
Credits:
Directors: Ermanno Olmi, Abbas Kiarostami, Ken Loach
Writers: Ermanno Olmi, Abbas Kiarostami, Paul Laverty
Producers: Carlo Cresto-Dina, Babak Karimi, Domenico Procacci, Rebecca O'Brien
Directors of photography: Fabio Olmi, Mahmoud Kalari, Chris Menges
Production designer: Alessandro Vannucci
Music: George Fenton
Costumes: Maurizio Basile
Editors: Giovanni Ziberna, Babak Karimi, Jonathan Morris. Cast:
Professor: Carlo Delle Piane
PR Lady: Valeria Bruni Tedeschi
Woman: Silvana De Santis, Fillipo: Filippo Trojano, Jamesy: Martin Compston, Frank: William Ruane, Spaceman: Gary Maitland, Girl: Blerta Cahani, Boy: Klajdi Qorraj
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 110 minutes...
Each of the three short stories -- which feature overlapping characters and actions jointly directed -- contains arresting moments. Collectively though, the movie fails to live up to its pedigree. Tickets is a natural for festivals and special distribution, but boxoffice will be tepid.
The order of the directors' billing indicates the sequence of their work. Remarkably, there are no abrupt stylistic changes despite separate cinematographers, editors and writers. (Paul Laverty wrote the Loach episode while the other directors wrote their own).
Olmi's opening act makes good use of the format by going for a single emotional effect in a cinematic fragment. A professor Carlo Delle Piane), forced to take the train when his plans called for air travel, reflects back on his day and his life.
He thinks of the gracious and attractive Austrian PR lady Valeria Bruni Tedeschi), who smoothed his way to the train, flirted with him at the station, then vanished from his life. Such thoughts mingle with childhood memories that underscore the transitory nature of life.
Kiarostami's episode sees a bullying and overweight woman Silvana De Santis) climb aboard with a beleaguered young man (Filippo Trojano), assigned to help her as part of his National Service. She sits in first-class seats reserved for others and finds creative ways to annoy everyone, including her servant.
Escaping from her for a moment, the lad engages in a flirtatious conversation with a young girl (Carolina Benvenga) who comes from the same town and knows him better than he realizes. When the woman again starts to harass him, he simply disappears and she cannot find him.
Loach's piece has three young and boisterous Scottish soccer fans (Martin Compston, William Ruane and Gary Maitland) travel on an impulsive journey to see their favorite club play in Rome. They encounter an Albanian boy (Klajdi Qorraj) wearing a Manchester United shirt and generously give him and his family some food. When one fan realizes his train ticket is missing, the three suspect that the boy stole it. When their suspicions are confirmed, his older sister (Blerta Cahani) tearfully explains the family's perilous predicament.
This is the most fully realized of the three tales as it demonstrates the richest sense of character, suspense and action. In the other two, the annoying woman is all too annoying and the professor's reveries are rather thin.
Shooting aboard a moving train, the filmmaking collective certainly capture the spirit of a chaotic train trip while introducing a few memorably characters.
TICKETS
A Fandango and Sixteen Films production
Credits:
Directors: Ermanno Olmi, Abbas Kiarostami, Ken Loach
Writers: Ermanno Olmi, Abbas Kiarostami, Paul Laverty
Producers: Carlo Cresto-Dina, Babak Karimi, Domenico Procacci, Rebecca O'Brien
Directors of photography: Fabio Olmi, Mahmoud Kalari, Chris Menges
Production designer: Alessandro Vannucci
Music: George Fenton
Costumes: Maurizio Basile
Editors: Giovanni Ziberna, Babak Karimi, Jonathan Morris. Cast:
Professor: Carlo Delle Piane
PR Lady: Valeria Bruni Tedeschi
Woman: Silvana De Santis, Fillipo: Filippo Trojano, Jamesy: Martin Compston, Frank: William Ruane, Spaceman: Gary Maitland, Girl: Blerta Cahani, Boy: Klajdi Qorraj
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 110 minutes...
- 2/15/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.