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7/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 7/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Treno popolare remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, only if you have a thing for vintage Italian cinema or just want to see what a Sunday excursion looked like in 1933. If you hate movies where the plot is mostly just people bumping into each other and laughing, skip this. It’s definitely not for the high-octane crowd.
The whole thing feels like a home movie that accidentally turned into a feature. You’ve got this group of strangers on a train, and the camera just kind of hangs out with them.
There’s this one scene where they are all crowded in the carriage, and the sound mix is just a mess. You can barely hear what they’re saying over the train clatter, but it honestly makes it feel more real. Like, I’ve been on trains like that—everyone yelling over each other, eating bread, trying to look cool for the person in the next seat.
The acting is… well, it’s very 1933. A lot of wide eyes and exaggerated shrugs. But Maria Denis has this way of looking at the camera that makes you forget how thin the story is for a second.
It reminds me a bit of the frantic, slightly disjointed energy you find in Hurra - ein Junge!. Both movies are just trying to keep the momentum going without really knowing where they’re going to end up.
It’s not trying to be some big, important statement on humanity. It’s just about a train ride. And sometimes that’s enough, I guess.
It’s a bit like watching The Goal Rush in terms of just letting the characters exist in their own little bubble. If you go in expecting a tight script, you’re gonna have a bad time. Just relax and let the train rattle along.
Sometimes the movie lingers on a face for way too long. Just a long, silent close-up while someone looks slightly confused. It’s funny in a way I don’t think the director intended. 🚂
