Advantages of Travelling by Train

A psychoanalyst meets a woman on a train.

In order to pass the time, he tells her a story. Before long, the character in the story starts to narrate his own tale.

And on and on it goes in this surreal, Russian Doll of a movie that recalls the work of Bunuel, especially Phantom of Liberty and Obscure Object of Desire.

(It also reminded me of Utopia, the excellent British TV series - especially the vivid colour scheme and the experimental score)

Some of the stories include:

An army amputee who returns home with a harrowing story

A female book editor who becomes trapped in a horribly twisted, masochistic relationship

And a 'slug man' with a prosthetic exoskeleton who journeys to Paris where he meets a beautiful woman with one leg longer than the other

This is a wildly ambitious film, made even more impressive by the fact that it is Aritz Moreno's debut feature.

The tales are bizarre and shocking but never feel exploitative or cheap. There is a definite method to the madness here.

Except for the ending, which feels a little rushed and abrupt, the film plays beautifully.

The individual stories are gripping, the performances are exceptional, the transitions are smooth and the pacing is great.

This is a highly assured work from a daring and uncompromising filmmaker.

It'll be interesting to see where Moritz goes from here.

This movie is fantastic. It's about stories in stories in stories told by stories who change to stories... And so on. I don't wanna spoil, but I felt super amused, moved and inspired. But at the and. That doesn't matter. It's just a fictional film. So. Watch it. Or not. Have a good day.

Different people's lives with hidden connections to each other Sinister characters of a troubled mind or real ones?

I don't know even if i liked it!

This is a dark comedy/psychological drama thriller. A definition of weirdness. Bizarre, creepy, some hilarious moments, some frightening moments. Excellent acting, also well directed.

But, in my opinion, it is not as clever as the creators think it is. It is not mind blowing, neither it makes much sense. Some metaphors may make sense (abusive relationships at the second part) but overall, this is surrealistic, like a modern fairy tale where Logic and laws of physics don't apply. Like a Kafka's dream.

If that was the intention, it is still enjoyable and interesting even though I would prefer it more cohesive.

In any case, the ending is not good. That is a twist for the sake of twists. And it didn't mean anything, just something irrational, i think it's lazy writing.

If you like your movies to be absurd, watch it for sure.

If left-of-center surrealist filmmakers such as Alejandro Jodorowsky ("El Topo", "The Holy Mountain"), Werner Herzog ("Even Dwarves Started Small"), David Lynch ("Eraserhead"), Luis Bunuel ("Discreet Charm Of The Bourgeoisie", "Un Chien Andalou", "The Exterminating Angel") appeal to you, then you'd have no problem welcoming "Adventures Of Travelling By Train" to your collection. If, like me, extremely wordy films with dozens of characters and scenarios bother you, tick off a star or two. Without a doubt, the three related stories presented sit squarely in the Theatre Of The Absurd. View at your own risk.