Anthology movies have occasionally attracted notable directors in the past, with decidedly mixed results, but Tickets, which brings together Italian Ermanno Olmi, Iranian Abbas Kiarostami, and Englishman Ken Loach, is more engaging than most, linked by the fact that all three tales take place on a train traveling to Rome. The first segment, by Olmi, is about an elderly scientist returning home from a business meeting in Germany, who's haunted by the memory of a woman. The second, directed by Kiarostami, depicts the increasingly tense relationship between the demanding widow of an Italian general and the young man serving as her escort to a memorial honoring her late husband. Loach's closing contribution is an anecdote about three ebullient young Scottish soccer fans on their way to see a championship game, whose plans are threatened when one has his ticket stolen, perhaps by the sweet-faced Albanian boy whose family they've befriended. Tickets is just like a locomotive in that it starts slowly before eventually picking up speed: Olmi's piece is stately and slightly dull, Kiarostami's swifter and quite engaging, and Loach's a fast-paced, exuberant delight. Recommended, overall. [Note: DVD extras include an hour-long “making of” documentary showing the three filmmakers collaborating on the film from initial script discussions to final editing. Bottom line: a fine extra for a solid film.] (F. Swietek)
Tickets
Facets, 115 min., in Italian, English, Albanian & Farsi w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $29.95 Volume 21, Issue 6
Tickets
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