Train Station

After witnessing Todd Solondz's PALINDROMES, I thought I had seen it all: A story about one girl but told with 7 or 8 different actors (of all ages/sizes/races/genders) portraying the girl during different emotional times in her life. It blew me away and I loved the conceit; it sparked many a long and interesting conversation among others who had seen the film. Then I saw CollabFeature's TRAIN STATION. Nothing could prepare me for this rich, layered, beautiful experiment in filmmaking history. Similar to PALINDROMES, the story follows one person, the Man in Brown, as his journey plays out in 40 different alternate universes, switching locations around the globe in a split second but not breaking the momentum, only propelling it forward. The film was created collaboratively online and most of the 40 directors have never even met. Together, they helped develop the plot and characters and then each filmed his or her segment and then it was delicately put together creating complete awesomeness. It's an insightful cultural smorgasbord and has the vibe of RUN LOLA RUN or SLIDING DOORS, with a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure kinda feel to it. Always intriguing and often surprising, TRAIN STATION can only keep the viewer guessing as it chugs along its international trek, covering the grounds of dozens of filmmakers from around the world who have individually come together to create a single, beautiful and intricate work of art.

Watching the trailer, I know this is not going to be an artsy or high value movie but out of curiosity, I still watch it. I wonder what's the idea of those "choices" and even if the movie is bad, I hope I can still see 25 cities or train stations. It turn out NONE ! There are no major surprise in the plots or the "choices", nothing that ties up all the choices, some acting are horrible, especially the young Asian Chinese pair, hardly any outdoor scenes where I can see the cities, no train station scenes other than some close up ticketing counters. I give it a 5 just for its "idea" although there is nothing interesting or intelligent about it.

I wanted to write a review as soon as I got home from the theater, but I thought it best to let the experience saturate a bit as I was still trying to find a way to describe the feeling I had after seeing "Train Station." I kept comparing it to the first time I heard Bob Dylan's "It's All Right Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" or when I first watched "E.T." as a kid, but even those moments fall short of the profound effect this movie had on me.

I have never seen the world so connected in any art form like I saw on Tuesday at The Main Art Theater in Royal Oak, MI. It was truly beautiful. The whole concept is ground breaking and CollabFeature's ability to make it happen is awe-inspiring. I know I will be talking about both the movie and my experience of seeing it for many years. I walked away feeling inspired, amazed, and incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to attend this screening. I'm excited for others to see it and experience the innovative art of filmmaking in its purest form.

I loved every minute of it.

This is a very original and unique piece of art and entertainment. A very challenging and interesting idea, where the protagonist is played by different actors in different countries. It could easily dive into a wave of confusion to the audience but it's completely understandable, and it has a powerful and seductive storytelling. Although it's directed and produced in very different places around the world, by different teams, it still has a coherence that any good film must have, and also with the bonus of this multicultural diversity throughout the film. This is the second time Collabfeature makes a film in these terms. But the first the plot was led by a backpack that would o from hand to hand "by chance", and would take us to micro worlds, or situations, of characters that not always were intertwined. So although very interesting and funny, it was still, a backpack. Here having a protagonist, very characterized, 3 dimensional with all his different aspects of personality, we are more easily driven to the world of the character and the needs of the character. And like in any good classic storytelling, although he jumps into an adventure with many obstacles, we never forget the premise "there is a train he needs to catch, will he catch it?" Probably the beginning of a new era of filmmaking.

Bringing together so many film makers from around the world and creating a feature film which is highly entertaining, thought - provoking, clever, imaginative and unique. It deserves to be watched and watched again. Truly a milestone in cinema history. The basic premise of one character changing bodies, languages, countries, age and sex yet being in the same story and selection of stories is a very clever device. Spanish director Luis Buñuel of course did this in Obscure Object of Desire, but only with 2 actors - Train Station takes this a whole lot further and it takes a few minutes to grasp what is happening, but once involved in the film the viewer is transported into this world and actually looks forward to the next change. This film is a rich tapestry of genre and story, like I said, an amazing achievement.