Gare du Nord

The movie tells the stories of Ismael, Mathilde, Joan and Sacha, four characters linked to the Gare du Nord for various reasons: Ismael, a student, conducts satisfaction surveys in order to finance his studies; Mathilde, a former professor of social sciences, transits through the station each day to reach a clinic in order to follow a medical treatment; Joan, a real estate agent, meets her clients at the station, hoping they will show up on time; finally, Sacha hopes to find his runaway daughter at the station.

Strolling repeatedly around the station, these protagonists meet and start building relationships, notably Ismael and Mathilde, who are mutually attracted despite their age difference.

Through this movie on converging existences, Claire Simon draws a vivid portrait of the station, but above all, a touching portrait of human nature.

The Gare du Nord is more than a functional transit area. It is a social space on its own, with its inhabitants, its rules, its myths. People from all horizons fill the station day and night, with their hopes and fears, their strengths and weaknesses. The narration is subtle, and the movie delicately blends realism, humor and poetry. One ends up charmed by this station, its hectic pace, and its occupants.