Sometimes really small, seemingly unimportant things can bug me when watching a film. In Grand Central is was not the fact that a lot of the subtitles were impossible to read as they were white on an often white or pale background, including one entire key scene, as that is something that is important and frustratingly common in foreign language movies. Here, it is that the main character, Gary (Tahir Rahim) only seems to have one set of clothes.

At first, I was thinking that it was a like a cartoon where for reasons of budget and convention that is often the case. Then I began to conclude it might have been done as homage to the western genre, where you often see the hero in one outfit throughout. Gary is a largely taciturn man with an unexplained, probably violent past, who arrives in a new town looking to turn his life around and ends up risking that life for the woman he loves. At that high level, it sounds like a typical western plot, and to bring home that point there are also scenes of Gary on a mechanical rodeo bull in the local bar.

Gary has come to town looking for work in the nuclear power plant. The scenes at the stark, futuristic plant, and the interactions with his co-workers are, on the whole, the most interesting parts of the movie. France is 100% reliant on nuclear energy and the use of these poorly paid, hastily trained, workers in such dangerous conditions is, if true, an indictment of that industry.

The throbbing musical score by ROB is both effective, and appropriate for it’s setting, with all of the workers living in the shadow of the massive cooling towers of the plant. Some of the other imagery and symbolism used is pretty heavy handed though. Also, much less successful, is the love triangle between Gary, Karole (Lea Seydoux) and co worker Toni (Denis Menochet). It is very predictable with the scenes of Gary and Karole meeting in secret a bit repetitive.

The fact that Toni has been made infertile by his job, a potentially interesting plotline, is not properly explored and the conclusion to the love story is both forced and obvious. It is a shame that that ending falls shortly after the best section of the film – Karole and Toni’s wedding which is wonderfully shot and soundtracked. Also, by showing Karole’s wedding we get to see her in a second outfit, though it is odd that she is still wearing it the next day!

Rahim manages to carry the film with a nicely controlled performance and Oliver Gourment as a passionate and volatile plant worker provides excellent support. Those performances combined with some interesting ideas raise Grand Central slightly above average, despite the pedestrian romantic story at its heart.

Rating: 6 out of 10