Night Train to Lisbon

Something is missing in the life of Raimund Gregorius (Jeremy Irons), a high school teacher who teaches Latin in Bern. He loves his job, but Raimund hasn't felt passion for a cause or a person in a long time. That changes abruptly when, on his way to school one day, he meets a young Portuguese woman on a bridge who is planning to throw herself under. Although the teacher is able to dissuade the young woman from her plan and persuade her to accompany him to school, she disappears a short time later without saying a word. All that remains is her red coat, in whose pocket Raimund finds a book by the Portuguese doctor Amadeu de Prado. Inside the book is a train ticket to Lisbon, which the teacher uses in a fit of spontaneous adventure. On the journey he reads the book, which captivates him from the start. Raimund feels a very special connection to the author of the lines and decides to seek out de Prado in Lisbon. Raimund learns from his sister Adriana (Charlotte Rampling) that the doctor is long dead. A bitter setback, but it doesn't stop the teacher from embarking on an extended search for clues. He meets old companions and former friends of Amadeu de Prado and thus plunges into a story full of intrigue, danger and political resistance - a story that will also change Raimund's life forever.

The novel Nachtzug nach Lissabon by Pascal Mercier is considered one of the most successful German-language novels of recent years. Translated into fifteen languages, the highly acclaimed work by the Swiss philosophy professor has delighted over two million readers in the German-speaking world alone. The fact that the renowned Danish filmmaker Bille August, who has already proven his knack for adapting complex material with The Haunted House, could be won over for the inevitable film adaptation proves to be a real stroke of luck. Of course, the film can't reach the dramaturgical and emotional depth of the novel. But what August has created here is definitely damn close.

From the first scene, the director builds a very engaging atmosphere that captivates the viewer and does not let go until the end. Yet the production is rather unexciting and consists mostly of conversations Raimund has with friends and acquaintances of Amadeu. However, the picturesque setting of Lisbon and the switching between the different time and plot levels keeps the suspense going the entire time. The charming acting of Jeremy Irons, the quiet humour that keeps flowing into the story and the hint of romance that is able to build up completely without kitsch to the moving finale also ensure that this bestselling film adaptation is so successful.

Night Train to Lisbon is a fascinating story about passion in all its forms. It shows how beautiful and at the same time dangerous it can be, how meaningful it can be for everyone, but also for many, how powerful it can be in positive, but also in destructive ways. And above all, there is the realization of how meaningless our lives would be without passion. Bille August conveys this in wonderful images and performed by a great, international ensemble of actors. This is top-class art house cinema with a high entertainment value, a film that touches, moves and, despite many silent moments, radiates enormous power. And for this there is only one possible rating: absolutely worth seeing!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp