by Federico Greco

Patrice Leconte’s latest film, L’homme du train [+see also:
trailer
film profile], in competition at the 59th Venice Film Festival, is a tale of what might have been. Set in a small provincial town in France, it is the story of a chance encounter between two very different men, played by French icons, Jean Rochefort and rockstar Johnny Halliday, each of whom discovers that he would have loved to have lived the other’s life. Leconte was inspired by a splendid poem by Guillaume Apollinaire. "This film is all about these two actors meeting. Films are born from meetings, and the exchange of thoughts and ideas. The beauty of film lies in facilitating the meeting of two different worlds".

"Self-irony is the most important thing in the world. Nobody should ever themselves too seriously", said Leconte who confided his secret formula: “Making films is really about respect. You must respect the characters, locations and light. Perhaps I am being presumptuous but this is the way I have always made films".