NIGHT TRAIN

China, 2007, 94 minutes, Colour.
Directed by Diao Yaan

Night Train is a rather glum and sombre film about a widow who works for the state – works for the court and is the executioner of criminals. Self-contained, living quietly in an apartment, she still feels lonely and goes to a dating agency and turns up at dances for singles. She encounters a man from the Agency and exposes him. She is approached by another man who attempts to assault her. In the meantime, she is followed by the husband of the woman she had executed. He intends to kill her, but changes his mind – or, does he?

The film is made in an industrial Chinese town, ugly to look at, photographed in muted colours. The performance of the central character is a mixture of the self-contained and wanting to let loose. It is an interesting character study and has many social observations – especially about callousness in public executions.

1. Chinese story, mood, atmosphere, focus on private individuals, social concerns?

2. The city and the factories, the dam, the bridge, the train, roads, the court, the prison, the dance hall? Ordinary and drab?

3. The title, the night train, the woman’s travel, the stops?

4. The rides, the woman on the bridge – the opening and the whole film being a flash-back?

5. The dance hall, the set up, the large number of men and women, sitting it out, the woman smoking, the man approaching her, talk, magic tricks, going home, his advances, her reaction? Later meeting her and his apology?

6. The court, the trial, the accused, manslaughter, the condemnation, her child, her brother and the ashes, the father of the child, the collapse, going to execution, the rehearsal, the woman killing her?

7. The woman and her work, at home, the room, the gossiping woman, wanting to object to the sex worker, the woman being self-contained, yet listening to the sex worker’s room, her loneliness, going to the club to see her dance?

8. The Agency, her photos, going out with the man, challenging about his role at the Agency?

9. The flashback to the set up for the death of the client, the manslaughter?

10. The father of the child, rejected by the family, following the woman, his knife, her alluding him, confronting him, going into the dam, the sexual encounter, the tour, her seeing the knife, his dragging the boat, the case, her return to the room?

11. The possibility of love and forgiveness – a new life or not?