“Trains”, a Polish film directed by Maciej J. Drygas, is more reflective about humanity than trains. Trains can move humanity in adventuresome and joyful spirits but in this film more towards the unspeakable horrors of war on soldiers and civilians alike.
46 film archives were utilized crafting a black and white film without dialogue only haunting and threatening industrial noise music with train sounds such as the unmistakeable clickety clack and chug chug. Yes and, in a rare humorous moment, even Charlie Chaplin disembarking from a train.
The film commences with footage of locomotives and passenger cars being manufactured at a huge industrial site in England. Massive if not monstrous locomotives indicative of raw power, weight, metal and indestructibility.
Then footage of passengers happily being transported with a sense of excitement and gaiety rapidly turning to the use of trains during the First World War to transport unsuspecting armies to a horrific war. Munitions, massive artillery pieces and equipment are loaded on transport cars. Optimism and ignorance are on the faces of soldiers on their way to the front. The scenery rapidly turns into human misery as maimed soldiers many missing limbs are transported home. Prosthetic face plates, jaws, legs and arms are shown being fitted and two pictures of shell-shocked soldiers twitching and jerking around in a horrific fashion are shown. You might not forget that scene for quite some time.
The horror recedes replaced by happy passengers travelling through the countryside joking, napping, chatting, playing cards, reading, eating in the dining car, dancing to live music, watching a film in the cinema car and enjoying life.
Then again the cycle of war and destruction with the military build up of Germany and yes even Hitler taking a train trip to happy waving crowds and a child marching up to his railway car giving him a salute. Hitler meeting with military officials on his railcar. Jews with armbands in the streets then being herded into box cars for their final journey followed by carloads full of emaciated corpses from the camps, rescued prisoners being carried out from camps by American soldiers. Footage of German the rail network being destroyed by Allied bombs then rebuilt. Refugees being transported on rail cars. Families awaiting the return of soldiers at train stations.
Then passengers back on the rail cars enjoying food in the dining car, mail being sorted on the train and dropped off at stations, workers being transported into London from the suburbs. Is yet another period of normalcy forthcoming but where are the Russian soldiers with tanks on rail cars being transported to? To crush the 1956 Hungarian uprising?
Trains do not speak but if they could what would they say? What director Maciej J. Drygas has so lyrically presented?
Quite unlike any other film I have seen. Dreamlike yet savage. Riveting, simplistic façade but complicated.
Screens at the 2025 Biannual Kino Polska Film Festival in New York 15September2025.
RKS 2025 Film Rating: 91/100.
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