Customer Reviews

Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

When reading some of the other reviews,I noticed a simmilar thread throughout,from the good and the bad, but basicly they all said it was hard to comprehend, but not to me. One thing that needs to be understood is that french movies do not follow the same format as American ones and if you can understand that, then watching any french movie will be alot more enjoyable. This movie shows a real slice of humanity being that the deceased was bisexual. There is a couple with a child, a marriage on the rocks, drug addiction, homosexuality,even a love triangle,as-well as a recent sexchange candidate.There are some older folks, one being the twin brother and a couple of teenagers.Someone said they thought there was a lesbian scene. There isn`t it`s just two friends, one being a natural women finding out another friend had a sex change and when asked to feel her boobs it was out of curiosoty. Most men don`t get a sex change to be with women it`s that simple.What ties all these people together is the funeral,all the relatives and friends embark on a train trip to another city where the deceased wished to be buried with one of them carrying the coffin in his station wagon along-side the train. rather humorous I thought. Each person had their own set of memories and mostly a love/hate relationship with that person, and it seems that no one was sure who he realy loved or hated.I think one thing that helped to tell the story is the soundtrack.It was great in my opinion, although I do agree with the subtitles being washed out at times, but I understand french so I wasn`t as bothered about it.If you have never realy known a gay man or couple then the love scene on the train would be shocking to you, however I thought it showed a desperaration between these charachters within their grief even though it was graphic compared with American standards, but it could have easily been heterosexual to me because I looked beyond the genders.I thought it was well done and touching and showed how people sometimes form an attraction under an emotional event such as a death.. I think the film is great.I think the acting is superb considering the complexity of all them,it`s sort of like a rich dessert that lingers long after the last bite. This movie is not for the timid or close-minded, but on second thoughts I think it`s a good look at who people are and that we did `nt all come from the same cotton field.If you are looking for a different movie for a change of pace this is it , like that rich dessert it leaves you wanting more.

THOSE WHO LOVE ME CAN TAKE THE TRAIN to the burial of an enigmatic French artist by the name of Jean Baptiste. In this frenzied examination of contemporary living creatures who all board a claustrophobic train on its way to Limoges, France, director Patrice Chereau dissects the psyches of the most disparate group of family and friends ever gathered to pay last rites. A married couple in the midst of dissolution, a gay couple who discover a shared paramour whose health status threatens their lives, a transexual current amour of the dead man, a long time male nurse of the deceased, and others whose identities remain slightly out of focus - all of these characters have personal baggage they bring to this memorial "reunion" and it is the interplay of thier interrelated attachments to the deceased that alters their lives. There are problems with the film - the subtitles are difficult to read, the soundtrack often covers the dialogue, the pace is a bit disarming - but in all it is very much like the way Chereau approaches opera (the vocal sound tract is in English, the dialogue in French with only sporadic English, the grand emotional music is from Gustav Mahler). He asks us to step back and experience the interior lives of the people around us. Perhaps this film is an acquired taste, but give it some time and investment of thought and you'll be richly rewarded.

Chereau's characters brim with individuality and sincerity. While seldom seeing more than the surface of a first impression, as happens in life, each character is defined exquisitely and in depth within a moment of their first appearance. This sounds contradictory, but an examination of real life and our interactions would probably reveal this to be true.We are invited to observe an interacting group of self absorbed individuals whose relationships intertwine like a symphonic work, full of glorious sparkling moments of humanity and somber reflective emotions, sexual intrigue, confrontations that do not exceed the realms of possibility and sympathetic individuals. This is a film which I am sure will reveal more and more understanding with repeated viewings.

Quite simply, this is the worst DVD transfer I've ever seen. In reference to the other reviewer's observation concerning the film's "poor lighting" all I can say is blame it on transfer, not the director. The film is every bit as good as, say, Magnolia, and is deserving of at least a 4 1/2 star rating. However, owing to the unreadable subtitles, I'd be loath to recommend this movie--even for rental--to anyone who doesn't speak French.

I'm not sure about the film some of these other reviewers saw, but I could not stand this movie. For one thing - one very critical thing - it's got some of the most UNREADABLE subtitles ever! Which, I'm sure, added to my complete lack of enjoyment. I'm an Independent Film fan and I was looking forward to seeing this movie but it's disconnected and at times, just unwatchable. The story meanders and the lighting isn't so great either. I was very disappointed. Be careful if you're planning on purchasing this DVD. Try to rent it first - check the foreign section of your favorite video store. Best Regards, turtlex

Some loved it, some hated it. I heard strong comments on both sides. "Can't understand anything, too complicated" I must agree that it is complicated, but worth it. At some times, it is hard to recognize the characters and their background (there are many characters and the intrigue unveils itself very slowly), but the movie deals with strong emotions. Mainly, it shows everybody's need to feel recognized by those they love and the competition they go through to get more love and attention.
The shots on board the train were well done; there was a good sense of movement all through. Even after the funeral - and no trains, this was sustained.

I was amused at Jean-Batiste's desire for everyone who loved him to go by train, but his coffin to be transported by car - and did have to ask if those who came to the funeral by car did it from lack of love for the dear departed or from geographical necessity. I enjoyed this film more than I expected to; it was well paced, the characters were compelling, if not exactly your average circle of family and friends.

The standard of acting was generally very good. I feel this film justifies watching more than once, if only to sort out who's who and where they fit together, but, from first viewing, plenty of life, despite being based round a death.

A prominent ad charismatic artist dies and so, around his imminent funeral, friends and lovers of him will travel by train through the French countryside. The grief - that potent catalyst - will unite them in order to rediscover the almost forgotten emotional bonds that remain inside them, even if they quarrel or coincide one each other.

The journey by itself is a lovable metaphor that reaffirms the human condition and rejoin us with the life, to prove the art goes far beyond the mere aesthetic concept of the creative act.

One of these unforgettable movies that will endure in your memory, once you have left the hall.

This movie is about the gathering of a variety of friends, ex-lovers, and family, for the funeral Of Jean-Babtiste. It is filled with every type of people, from a gay love triangle, to a man turned newly woman, to a failing marriage, etc etc etc... It is interesting, and well done...
But the subtitles are a little hard to read...

An interesting and compelling movie, this Patrice Chereau`s ("Intimacy") effort is a deep and subdued story about different kinds of relationships. Many individuals who are somehow connected (family ties, friendship, love) reunite on a train in order to attend a funeral of a loved(?) one. During the process, shades of the past unfold and old wounds appear again, making for some dramatic moments and tense situations. A low-key, subtle and realistic cinematic experience, "Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train" offers a solid character study with convincing acting and a stellar soundtrack (P.J. Harvey, Jeff Buckley, Portishead, Cake,...). It`s an uneven movie, though, as some scenes drag a bit, the connections between a couple of characters aren`t quite clear and the ending could be better. Still, this picture is worthwile overall and suceeds at presenting a melancholic and urban look into dysfunctional families.

Good cinema.

Things went left and right and back again causing whiplash but I couldn't take my eyes off it even when I had no clue what was going on. It didn't matter because I needed to watch it through to the end. And I did.