Known primarily for his bookish studies of family discord, 67-year-old French director André Téchiné (‘The Witnesses’, ‘Strayed’) has said that ‘The Girl on the Train’ is his ‘action movie’. But don’t expect a hysterical riposte to ‘Transformers 2’. Beyond numerous shots of the film’s star
Emilie Dequenne
(‘Rosetta’, pictured right) gliding around on rollerblades and a scene involving a knife attack in a warehouse, Téchiné fans can rest easy. Instead, the film uses these nuggets of action to tell a satisfying and illusive tale about the psychological knock-ons of trauma, the media’s readiness to exploit controversy and how it’s easier to tell a lie than maintain it. Dequenne is superb as Jeanne, a free spirit who unwisely reacts to a tragedy by inventing a situation which suggests she is the victim of a violent race-hate attack. Téchiné regulars
Catherine Deneuve
and
Michel Blanc
offer strong support as Jeanne’s mother and boss, but the film’s big strength is its unwillingness to dish out easy answers.