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TRAIN ACCIDENT

LE TRAIN DU HASARD

By Rahma BENHAMOU EL MADANI

PLEIN CADRES - as PROD

Romance - Development 2019

Nedjma is sitting inside an old train. She takes a book and when she starts reading “Nedjma, or the poem, or the dagger” by Kateb Yacine, Lakhdar appears on the platform. He gets on board and sits opposite Nedjma. In order to draw her attention he is going to put hihimself at risk.

- Year of production
- 2019
- Genres
- Romance
- Countries
- ALGERIA, MOROCCO, FRANCE
- Languages
- BERBER, FRENCH
- Budget
- 1 - 3 M$
- Duration
- 75 mn
- Director(s)
- Rahma BENHAMOU EL MADANI
- Cast
- Lamia MENIOUI, Yacine DJOUZI
- Synopsis
- Nedjma is sitting inside a noisy train. An old train that creaks and rocks and sways... Nedjma is alone on
  this side of the train, other passengers can be heard chatting a little further away amidst the din of the
  train. Outside it is sunny, the train rolls slowly through the countryside. Nedjma is dreamy, sitting very close to the window. She takes out a book and starts reading “Nedjma, or the
  poem, or the dagger” from Kateb Yacine's book.
  The train finally stops with difficulty. It screeches, brakes, moves on a little and brakes again. The door
  opens behind Nedjma. A passenger, Lakhdar, walks in, alone. The door shuts noisily. Nedjma does not
  stir. She remains in the same position as before the train stopped. She gazes at this little train station.
  Lakhdar walks through the carriage with his bag around his shoulder. He notices Nedjma sitting by
  herself. He hesitates and slows down the pace. He watches her and hesitates to continue down the
  carriage. Seats are available opposite Nedjma and next to her. She does not see Lakhdar's hesitations as
  she gazes outside. The train leaves in a noisy start thrusting Lakhdar a little further down the
  compartment. Nedjma does not want to see Lakhdar who walked in with as much noise as the old train itself. His entrance caused her to feel something that she must conceal.
  She searches her bag, takes out her walkman and puts on her headphones. Without ever casting a glance
  at Lakhdar who keeps on staring at her, Nedjma ignores the new passenger. She puts up the volume of her walkman to cover the noise of the train that
  screeches along. The swaying of the train as well as the music are enough to push Nedjma deeper into her
  reverie as she reads through the poem. She really wants to send Lakhdar packing, she is annoyed but
  Lakhdar is too far away to notice Nedjma's worried gestures as she handles her walkman. Finally she
  removes her headphones and focuses on the poem. The landscape keeps on passing by.
  Lakhdar stands up, and as the train enters a tunnel, he tugs down the window pane that is on his side. The
  fresh air reaches Nedjma. She tries to rearrange her hair but even more fresh air gushes in and forces her to finally turn her head to Lakhdar who is poking his head out of the window.
  The train is out of the tunnel. Lakhdar remains with his head outside peeping at Nedjma.
  Nedjma is scared by this head that seems to be coming from outside. She is petrified. She gets to her feet to try and escape this image. Then she finally puts her coat back on, regains her seat and resumes her
  reading.
  She is not only scared by the sight of this head but she also feels cold and her hair is undone.
  Lakhdar stares at her a little more.
  The train enters another tunnel. Lakhdar wants to get his head back in again. He cannot manage. The
  window is stuck, and so is his head. The two persons look at each other, Nedjma with her head full of
  memories and Lakhdar with his head stuck in the window frame.
- Beginning of shooting
- Apr 01, 2017
- End of shooting
- Jan 25, 2018