The Tram

Couldn't wash away my grin for sometime after watching. This is about a moment of human interaction we all lived too many times. Once you lose the grab of it, it will keep coming back from the baggage of -what if-s.

Kieslowski eschews sound and concentrates on images. And those images detail a rather simple story built on the power of suggestion. Kieslowski's edit just as the man decides to approach the woman is appropriately disorienting, leaving the viewer initially unsure of just which way he is facing in the tram, creating a jolt of surprise when he gets nearer to her. The film has a delightful narrative arc, while foreshadowing a similar connection between romance and voyeurism in Decalogue 6.

#836 - 02 Eylul 08, 02:03 &

One of Kieslowski's earliest student films, a very brief silent about a shy boy who sees a pretty gal on the streetcar. It's too threadbare to make much out of, but it shows an already promising eye for cinematic expression. It's a nice little piece, though rather slight and forgettable.

30.1.15

It's charming to see that Kieslowski is still himself in his first film. Yet again a simple but poignant observation of ordinary people's lives taking sudden major turns. It's a story that's happened to everyone. Still, though it may be Kieslowski there's nothing really special about The Tram. The male actor seriously needs to pluck that unibrow. It's out of control.

Successfully conveys the feeling associated with what I think is quite a common experience among young men...perhaps not so much in the age of smartphones.