Dirs. Ermanno Olmi/Abbas Kiarostami/Ken Loach, Italy/UK, 2004, 109 mins
Cast: Carlo de Piane, Silvano De Santis, Filippo Trojano, Martin Compston
With three very different but intertwined tales from three of the great social commentator directors, the destination of Rome – as in “all roads lead to Rome” – must be a metaphor that despite our differences we are all travelling along the same route.
This cinematic triptych begins with Italian director Ermanno Olmi introducing us to an elderly scientist (de Piane) travelling from Innsbruck in Austria, to his grandson’s birthday in Rome. There have been delays and air flights cancelled but the professor’s pr assistant has kindly booked him a rail journey instead, and two tickets to ensure his comfort during the long hours ahead. Her kindness has touched the elderly gentleman, and has stirred up long forgotten tender memories and notions. He attempts to compose a letter of thanks on his laptop but his peace is disturbed by the presence of a soldier sitting opposite him. The train, it seems, is under some kind of security alert.
The man’s status is such that he has been able to purchase comfort and exclusivity. However, it is a lonely position, detached from those less fortunate and without the means to buy privilege. A poor young woman is forced to stand out in the corridor. Her child cries as its milk is spilled and she is unable to retrieve or replace it. She is clearly an irritant to the inhabitants of first-class. The professor, however, - maybe due to his resurgent warm feelings, or the authoritative presence of the soldier, here a representation of man made law and control – orders some warm milk and carries it out to the woman and the crying child.
Kiarostami’s segment focuses on a disagreeable woman (De Santis) of a certain age, who climbs aboard at the next stop, accompanied by a young man (Trojano). Loud and opinionated, she resolutely stands her ground when accused of stealing a mobile phone and again when two men accuse her of taking their seat. The wife of a general, we learn that the young man is, in fact, her assistant, and his attention’s are not out of love or loyalty but of duty and obligation. His service to her is a form of military service. However, despite her cantankerous ways, there is a pride to this woman as she stands up to the might of the military. She does not, in fact, have a first-class ticket – but by golly she feels she deserves one. The official seems to recognise this and acquiesces.
Finally, directed by the UK’s unsung hero, Ken Loach, three young Celtic fans board the train on their way to see their team play in Rome. They meet a teenager in a No. 7 David Beckham shirt. United in the love of the beautiful game, despite learning that the boy is an Albanian, they share sandwiches with him. However, when one of the boys then discovers he can’t find his train ticket, primal instincts begin to take over as they suspect that the boy may have taken it…
Collaborations such as this are always laden with potential pitfalls. Styles may vary and cause the overall production to not dovetail as well as it might. However, in bringing together representatives from different parts of the world, what we have is a collection of viewpoints all of which underline the overall theme of social exclusion – the have’s and the have not’s. In each segment we meet people who are in a position to help or be of service to someone who is, in some way, less fortunate than themselves. Also, each set of characters manages to find some way in which, despite initial appearances, they are similar. It’s that recognition of a common humanity, an ability to look deeper and to make life easier for someone who is not so different if you have the means to do so, that makes this an optimistic film.
A great social moral tale for our time and a great piece of cinema.
Alison Best |
