Train Driver’s Diary 2016
Distributed by Passion River Films, 154 Mt. Bethel Rd., Warren, NJ 07059; 732-321-0711
Produced by Milos Radovic
Directed by Milos Radovic
DVD, color, 85 min. Serbian (English subtitles)
High School - General Adult
Transportation, Sociology, Parenting, Death and Dying, Adoption, Adolescence
Date Entered: 03/27/2018
Reviewed by Andrew Koval, MSLSDirector Radovic presents the story of a train driver whose experiences have rendered him stoic and searching for life’s meaning. Through happenstance the train driver adopts a boy and discovers a sense of purpose. As the boy ages he too wants to become a train driver but is forebidden by his father.
The Train Driver’s Diary is heartfelt with segments of dark humor. The character development is colorful and add to the narrative. Likewise, the story’s resolution is satisfying. Herein are universal tropes such as fatherhood, family, apprenticeship and tradition.
What’s more, Train Driver’s Diary is reminiscent of Live Schreiber’s Everything is Illuminated (2005) as both films feature an apprenticeship dynamic coupled with a suicidal theme. Milos Radovic’s Train Driver’s Diary is leisure viewing. Significantly entertaining, this work is for library’s seeking to include cinematic gems.