Tickets is a fascinating portmanteau piece of three interwoven stories filmed by three acclaimed directors - Ermanno Olmi, Abbas Kiarostami and Ken Loach - which takes place on a train from Austria to Rome. The life metaphor of the train journey works remarkably well, with the key characters' futures governed by the choices they make. How the characters use their tickets is a major theme of each tale.
In Olmi's film, an elderly pharmacist daydreams about his attentive PA (5 x 2's Valeria Bruni Tedeschi), who has booked two tickets for him in the dining car to give him extra comfort. Kiarostami meanwhile focuses on a quarrelsome General's widow, who treats her male assistant with contempt. He is reminded of his obligations when he bumps into his sister's friend, and must decide whether or not to continue in the harridan's service. In Loach's segment (arguably the best), three Celtic fans are on their way to see their team play in the Champions League, but must choose between generosity and self-interest when they encounter a poor Albanian family. All are beautifully-observed pieces that exhibit the considerable talents of their directors, each renowned for his subtlety and social criticism.
Three directors create a portmanteau film of human interaction set on a single train journey from Eastern Europe to Rome. A lonely professor dreams of love, an overbearing woman treats everyone she meets with contempt and three Celtic soccer fans are on their way to a Champions League game.
