The Girl on the Train

This French film, directed by André Téchiné, is an intriguing but ultimately less than satisfying film that touches on many themes, including anti-Semitism and the thin line between truth and fiction. The best thing about it was its utter unpredictability--to someone who sees mostly American films, that are as predictable as the sunrise, it's very refreshing to see the European approach, which is to let a film unfold on its own accord, and exhibit behavior that is a lot like life.

The film centers around a young woman, played by Emilie Dequenne (a fine performance, and very easy on the eyes). She is something of a slacker, given to Roller Blading around town. Her mother, Catherine Deneuve, urges her to apply for a secretarial job with a law firm that is headed by an old love of hers. Dequenne has no appreciable skills, however.

She ends up being pursued by a cocky young college student who wins her heart. He gets her a shady job watching over an electronics warehouse. Meanwhile, we meet the lawyer's family, who includes his son, in from China for his son's bar mitzvah, and his daughter-in-law. The son and daughter-in-law are estranged but still attracted to each other, and the grandson is precocious.

The film is almost an hour old when the signature event takes place. I knew something about that, since it was based on an actual event in France, but I'm reluctant to discuss it here because it comes quite of the blue. Suffice it to say that it ties all the characters together and revisits the Jewishness of the lawyer's family.

The Girl on the Train is a very rich tapestry of a film, and plays like a novel, but by the end I felt a little let-down. Perhaps it's because my film tastebuds have been ruined by Hollywood, but I needed more motivation from the characters, especially Dequenne's. Yes, I basically get why she did what she did, but the way the film just stops rather than ends left me with more questions than answers. This film would make for great conversation over coffee afterward, but I found it missing a key ingredient that would make it truly great.