Tickets

2004. Italy/Great Britain/Iran. Directed by Ermanno Olmi, Abbas Kiarostami, Ken Loach. With Carlo Delle Piane, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Silvana De Santis, Filippo Trojano, Martin Compston, William Ruane. Three separate stories take place on a train from Innsbruck as it winds its way through Italy to Rome. Following an idea by Olmi, the three directors worked separately on their segments. Although the unity of the stories is governed by the setting, what really comes through is the unfailingly personal approach, preoccupations, and stylistic predilections of each "realist" auteur. Kiarostami's middle segment concerns a woman who refuses to show her ticket (if she has one) and the young man accompanying her, who is embarrassed by her behavior. Print courtesy The Works International. 99 min.