Some events, however minor, can change the rest of your life. In The Night Train, a short but intense encounter changes the protagonist.
The short film has a 14-minute runtime but achieves a lot in those few minutes. By the end, you feel satisfied by what you just watched, yet you want more.
The Night Train (Original title: Nattåget) is written and directed by award-winning Swedish filmmaker Jerry Carlsson. His work has been screened in film festivals all over.
Swedish actor Erik Nilsson plays Oskar, while French actor Khalil Ben Gharbia plays Ahmad. Oskar and Ahmad have a chance meeting one night while aboard a train and what ensues after will forever change Oskar.
Most of the film has no dialogue, as everything is communicated by look or touch. It allows the boys to cross the language barrier because Ahmad speaks French while Oskar speaks Swedish.
Inside ‘The Night Train,’ Where a Boy Discovers Himself
When the story begins, Oskar boards a train for home after interviewing for a job, but based on his phone conversation with his parents, he doesn’t seem successful.
His eyes wander around the train, and he catches Ahmad on the opposite aisle. He checks Ahmad out, and before he knows it, Ahmad has clocked him. Oskar’s first instinct is to pull back, but Ahamd doesn’t seem to mind. In fact, he, too, enjoys the attention.
Ahmad seems more comfortable showing attention openly, which is ironic since his parents are Muslim. Oskar, on the other hand, is a typical White Swedish guy whose chances of being religious are slim.
However, it may be that he’s just experiencing desire for the first time and is shy.
Ahmad makes a point of flirting with Oskar, but Oskar can’t overcome his shyness.
Night arrives, and Ahmad’s parents fall asleep, but the tension between the boys keeps them awake. It has been building up for most of the evening, and they’re ready to burst open. Ahmad peels an orange, which becomes a seduction routine in itself. The boys grow increasingly hot and bothered, and Ahmad decides to lead.
The Orange
The orange becomes an important tool as he offers Oskar a piece, but Oskar is too aroused to move. He watches the juice well up at the end of the orange, and it takes him places.
The boys seek privacy in a washroom stall, which requires Oskar to be very courageous. One can almost hear him arguing with himself, saying, “You want this, and you’re never going to get it if you don’t man up.”
Their desire takes over as they share an enclosed space and physical touch occurs. They start making out, and is that Oskar who couldn’t look at the object of his desire directly?
The orange becomes instrumental again as it euphemizes Oskar’s bodily reactions. As the making out and rubbing against one another continues, the orange can’t hold the juice anymore and erupts.
This artistic choice elevates the scene and The Night Train. It takes something that would otherwise appear gratuitous to another level. Oskar ejaculates prematurely, but Ahmad doesn’t make the situation weird. The boys begin a normal interaction with some of the tension out of the way.
The language barrier becomes apparent here, but they make do with switching from French to Swedish and English.
All good things must end, and a train attendant interrupts them. As Oskar heads back to the cabin, something has shifted. He appears more confident, and wiping the smile off his face would take a lot.
Oskar and Ahmad retire for the night, and in the morning, Oskar reaches his stop.
The Life-changing Encounter
He takes a moment to look at the boy who showed him the world the previous night as Ahmad sleeps peacefully.
Oskar gets off the train, stares at the place that had given him so much in such a short time, and the train leaves. He finds his parents waiting for him, and they head home.
The film underscores the importance of certain kinds of interactions that appear random but change everything about someone.
After his first sexual experience with a boy, Oskar connects with a part of himself that makes him a better man. Who knows? This might give him the confidence to pursue something different once he returns home. That might not have been possible if he hadn’t been on the night train.
‘The Night Train’ Depicts Raw Desire Perfectly
Much of what makes The Night Train the masterpiece it is is the care and attention given to each moment. The shots of the boys’ faces as they flirt or respond to flirtation communicate their desire perfectly.
Each frame is gorgeously shot, making it inviting for several viewings.
The actors do a great job of communicating their characters’ feelings. Gharbia nails the seduction part while Nilsson plays the shy and easily flushed seducee to perfection.
There is nothing negative to critique about this short masterpiece.
Rating 10/10.