Night Train to Lisbon

Year: 2013

Country: Germany, Switzerland, Portugal

Plot: Bern, Switzerland. While walking over a bridge on his way to a local university, Raimund Gregorius (Jeremy Irons), a Swiss professor of ancient languages, notices a young woman in a red coat standing on the railing, about to jump. Dropping his briefcase, he runs and pulls her down. She helps him gather the papers that have spilled from his briefcase and accompanies him to the school where he teaches. But instead of waiting to talk, she leaves during the middle of his class, without her coat.Concerned, Raimund grabs the coat and runs after her, but fails to find her. He checks her pockets for identification. All he finds is a small book, a memoir of sorts, by Amadeu do Prado. It is stamped with the address of the bookstore, so he goes there. The bookseller remembers the girl purchasing this obscure book. As he leafs through it, a train ticket to Lisbon, Portugal falls out. The train is, in fact, leaving in 15 minutes. Confused and doubtful, Raimund rushes to the station, but the woman is nowhere in sight. At the last moment he decides to use the ticket himself, and during the journey he reads the book.According to the book, Amadeu do Prado lived in Lisbon, so Raimund searches for him, hoping that this will lead to the woman. He finds Amadeu's home, where he is welcomed in by the writer's sister Adriana (Charlotte Rampling). She gives the impression he still lives there. Raimund learns that Amadeu is a doctor, and that only 100 copies of the book were printed. When Raimund asks what happened to their father, Adriana's reaction is hostile. As he is leaving, the maid informs him that he can find Amadeu in the town's cemetery. He finds the tomb: Amadeu died in 1974.On the street, Raimund is hit by a bicyclist and smashes his glasses. While obtaining new glasses from a local optician, Mariana (Martina Gedeck), he narrates his experiences. When he collects the glasses, she tells him in fact that her uncle knew Amadeu do Prado well and would like to talk to Raimund.Raimund and his lovely new-found friend Mariana both go to the nursing home where her uncle João Eça resides (Tom Courtenay). João explains that he and Amadeu were both in the resistance against the Salazar dictatorship, a story told in continuing flashbacks as the film continues.Raimund then visits the priest Father Bartolomeu (Christopher Lee) who taught and also buried Amadeu do Prado. In another long flashback, the priest explains that Amadeu, a smart young boy from an aristocratic background, befriended Jorge O'Kelly (August Diehl), another bright boy in the school though of lowly means. They bonded through their love for knowledge, particularly the philosophical and political knowledge not permitted under Salazar. Amadeu gave a graduation speech that reflected his contempt for the regime, much to the chagrin of his father, a well respected judge.Raimund returns to Adriana and asks for her side of the story, and then visits João again for more information. He learns that Amadeu died of an aneurysm, which he knew he had, but had not told her about. As a doctor, Amadeu never refused a patient, and when a powerful member of the Salazar regime Rui Luís Mendes, called "the Butcher of Lisbon", was brought to Amadeu's clinic, he saved the man's life. Amadeu's friends were shocked by this, especially Jorge, who at that time was already in the resistance.Later, Amadeu confronted Jorge and declared that he too would join the resistance. Jorge introduced him to João and to Estefânia (Mélanie Laurent), a beautiful woman who helped the resistance by memorizing people's names and contact information, and who they were both attracted to. When the revolution against Salazar began, Amadeu was able to smuggle Estefânia to safety in Spain. Raimund learns where she went and goes there to see that she is still alive. The older Estefania (Lena Olin) tells Raimund about her romance with Amadeu before her fleeing into exile.Raimund finally meets the woman from the bridge again, in Lisbon; she had felt suicidal because she had just learned from the book that her beloved grandfather was the Butcher of Lisbon, but is learning to accept this.The events become a catalyst to Raimund's life, in a gentle sort of way. He informs the school that he is now returning to his job. In the final scene, Mariana goes to the railway station with him and, at the last moment, suggests he could instead stay.Raimund Gregorius, a Swiss Professor, abandons his lectures and buttoned-down life to embark on a thrilling adventure that will take him on a journey to the very heart of himself.

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