Ligne 208

Why is it rated so low?Is it because it has no stars?What's the problem?

"La ligne 208" is a simple beautiful film ,and despite its rather melodramatic ending,it has Kenneth Loach accents.

Bruno is a bus driver in a working-class suburb,where a lot of Arabs live.He's himself married to the lovely Djamila.One day,he's stabbed by a young beur (=second-generation North-African living in France).After his convalescence,he's no longer the same man.

This movie depicts everyday life in a not-so-rosy background;for narrow-minded people ,it might seem racist.But if there're young Arab louts,we also meet Djamila ,a friendly wife who loves her man dearly,and mainly her mother who takes on all the needy people of the neighborhood. We also see the far right (the Renaissance party)and its sinister members.

Bruno 's routine is depicted with sensitivity ;his job ,his football and his wife make his life worthwhile .After the attack,Bruno can no longer cope with the world outside.He's drifting and a shattered man.

Most of the time,the dialogue rings true,and the actors are convincing.

This movie could be seen as a kind of French TAXI DRIVER, a social drama involving a young man, a suburb bus driver, working in the ghetto and who is stabbed during his night shift. From this point, his life will radically change, no matter his friends, family, colleagues.... A really tour de force from actor Patrick Del'Isola, for which it is his most convincing performance ever. It is a bit depressing, gloomy, not an optimistic tale , for sure. I saw it when it was released and never saw it since. I am very glad to watch it again. Maybe because I feel very close to this character. The directing may be weak from time to time but I don't care.