Les passagers

I have no idea why this fascinating film has disappeared over the horizon of time. It is set in 1999, or perhaps the summer of 1998. There is no plot as such, except for the interior of a tramway in the north of Paris. It has its destination, and so do the travellers. And the film fluctuates between several of them. Some grieve, and hospitals and graveyards feature a lot, and Aids features at the beginning and we see a young man saying his farewells to his lover. The film returns to the tramway's journey. And the opposite of death, sexuality is shown, including masturbation, homosexual desire and heterosexual desire. A film that in my opinion that showed how important it was back then to realise and face the possible brevity of life and its joys. To sum up it is well directed by Jean-Claude Gringuet although some of the acting is variable. The one actor I have seen before Stephane Rideau ( Presque Rien ) could have been given more to do, but that is my perception. I hope others will discover this gem of a film, recalling in some ways its distant neighbour the 1960's Nouvelle Vague. A film to see more than once and to reflect upon.