Grand Central
08/04/16 Filed in: Amazon Prime
Because we're puppy sitting, which entails a couple of walks a day, I haven't been on the exercise bike much, and as a result I haven't been watching French films, which I usually do while exercising.
I did, however, manage to finish watching Grand Central. A 'Central' in French is a power station, and Grand Central is a nuclear plant. An unlikely setting for a story of romance, but in the hands of the French female director/screenwriter Rebecca Zlotowski it works.
Gary, played by Tahar Rahim (Un Prophet), is a casual worker looking for a job. The interview for the power station is no more than a formality, as there aren't that many people who want to work in highly radioactive areas. He joins a team led by Toni (Denis Ménochet) and is soon introduced to Toni's fiancé, Karole (Léa Seydoux), who has a novel way of showing Gary what over exposure to radioactivity is like. At their first meeting, before he knows who she is, she kisses him passionately while explaining that he is probably feeling fear, blurred vision, head spinning, legs shaking - and that's just a small dose! An interesting analogy. Of course, the inevitable happens, as Gary and Karole start an affair.
The film concentrates on the close group of workers who exist almost outside normal society. Gary appears uneasy when he's with Toni, presumably because of guilt, but he ends up rescuing Toni after his airline becomes detached, resulting in Gary receiving a high dose of radiation when he removes his protective gloves. I wasn't sure at one point whether Gary was contemplating letting Toni suffocate, and I felt that Toni also harboured the same fear.
I did, however, manage to finish watching Grand Central. A 'Central' in French is a power station, and Grand Central is a nuclear plant. An unlikely setting for a story of romance, but in the hands of the French female director/screenwriter Rebecca Zlotowski it works.
Gary, played by Tahar Rahim (Un Prophet), is a casual worker looking for a job. The interview for the power station is no more than a formality, as there aren't that many people who want to work in highly radioactive areas. He joins a team led by Toni (Denis Ménochet) and is soon introduced to Toni's fiancé, Karole (Léa Seydoux), who has a novel way of showing Gary what over exposure to radioactivity is like. At their first meeting, before he knows who she is, she kisses him passionately while explaining that he is probably feeling fear, blurred vision, head spinning, legs shaking - and that's just a small dose! An interesting analogy. Of course, the inevitable happens, as Gary and Karole start an affair.
The film concentrates on the close group of workers who exist almost outside normal society. Gary appears uneasy when he's with Toni, presumably because of guilt, but he ends up rescuing Toni after his airline becomes detached, resulting in Gary receiving a high dose of radiation when he removes his protective gloves. I wasn't sure at one point whether Gary was contemplating letting Toni suffocate, and I felt that Toni also harboured the same fear.
Gary's exposure to radiation threatens his ability to continue working at the plant, and thus his continuing relationship with Karole. So he starts swapping out his dose indicator monitor to reduce his recorded accumulated dosage. But then he has something else to think about as Karole becomes pregnant. Since Toni is unable to father children the implications are clear.
In what for me was a surprising turn of events, Karole tells Toni about the pregnancy, explaining that she did it for him. She even goes on to marry Toni, while still obviously having strong feelings for Gary, who decides to leave after a confrontation with Toni. The final scene then turns everything on its head again, as is often the case in French films, and we are left wondering.
To my mind this is a film worth watching and although some critics felt that it was somewhat contrived, the story clearly transcends such criticism, scoring 96% on Rotten Tomatoes.
In what for me was a surprising turn of events, Karole tells Toni about the pregnancy, explaining that she did it for him. She even goes on to marry Toni, while still obviously having strong feelings for Gary, who decides to leave after a confrontation with Toni. The final scene then turns everything on its head again, as is often the case in French films, and we are left wondering.
To my mind this is a film worth watching and although some critics felt that it was somewhat contrived, the story clearly transcends such criticism, scoring 96% on Rotten Tomatoes.