Grand Central

2013 1h 34m FR

😐

5.6

MID

🍅

89%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

6.2

IMDB

★5.6TMDB · 144🍅89%Rotten Tomatoes●73Metacritic★6.2IMDB · 2,918

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A young unemployed man finds work at a nuclear power plant and begins an illicit affair with the fiancée of one of his senior workmates.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Léa Seydoux
Karole
Tahar Rahim
Gary
Olivier Gourmet
Gilles
Denis Ménochet
Toni
Johan Libéreau
Tcherno
Nozha Khouadra
Maria
Nahuel Pérez Biscayart
Isaac
Camille Lellouche
Géraldine

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Rebecca Zlotowski
Writers: Rebecca Zlotowski, Gaëlle Macé
Languages: French
Countries: Austria, France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 13 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Austria, France.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Rebecca Zlotowski, shot by Georges Lechaptois. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Robin Coudert. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Editor Julien Lacheray shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Léa Seydoux and Tahar Rahim and Olivier Gourmet carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt2835548 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Rebecca Zlotowski directs. Georges Lechaptois behind the camera. Robin Coudert scores. Julien Lacheray cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Austria, France. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 13 years ago.
2International production across 2 countries: Austria, France.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Rebecca Zlotowski, shot by Georges Lechaptois. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Robin Coudert. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Julien Lacheray shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Léa Seydoux and Tahar Rahim and Olivier Gourmet carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt2835548 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Georges Lechaptois
Original score: Robin Coudert
Editing: Julien Lacheray
Production design: Antoine Platteau
Costume design: Chattoune
Makeup / hair: Alexandra Bredin
Runtime: 94 min · 1h 34m
Status: Released
Original language: FR
IMDB: Grand Central (2013)
Rotten Tomatoes: 89% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 73/100
IMDB rating: 6.2/10 · 2,918 votes

Awards

5 wins & 9 nominations

Lumière Special Jury Prize

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Rebecca Zlotowski

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

MoHA2015-04-11
★ 8/10
There is a simple enough metaphor running through the heart of this alternately frustrating and picturesque film. It is that love and passion is a nuclear reaction. It can also be a sickness, inspired by this most fear inducing of energy sources. Unfortunately this sickness, while inducing plenty of painful paranoia does not inspire much in the way of imaginative inspiration… Focusing on the unskilled Gary (Tahar Rahim, star of A Prophet, 2009) as he attempts to find a job at a nuclear plant in the Rhone valley, the film can be seen as something of a tale of abuse. Subjecting the young man to gradually increasing doses of nuclear contamination plus mostly outdoor sex sessions with the engaged Karole (Seydoux), the erotic drama meets environmental thriller is certainly original in its main concerns. However, the story begins to pale as it becomes clear that the essential plotting and characterisation does not progress much futher than the sex, paranoia of discovery and inexplicit feeling of possible of racial abuse. side from the film itself, the soundtrack from French film composer and avant garde synth-pop artist Rob is well worthy of listening to. As an extra note of quality it works extremely well within the context of the images of the verdant pastures of the valleys and fields. The film is shot wonderfully well with the French countryside looking perfectly resplendent, as the two lovers meet up for their regular trysts in the shadow of the nuclear plant. But the perfect capture of the valley side can not disguise the fact that the film as a whole is served up slightly confused and luke-warm. By the end the audience could well be wondering what the actual message was.
CinemaSerf2024-04-14
★ 6/10
I'm usually a fan of a bit of Tahar Rahim but there's not really so much going on in this romantic drama. It's setting is novel - it's not often that you find a nuclear power station as the location for a love story. That's where he ends up working, doing some of the constant de-contamination work at the site. Dressed, top-to-toe, in white protective gear when he is not showering or scrubbing his body, he befriends his boss "Toni" (Denis Ménochet) and meets his girlfriend "Karole" (Léa Seydoux). Things all now take a rather predicable turn as they embark on an affair hoping that neither "Toni" nor anyone else will notice. Aside from giving us a glimpse inside their workplace and showing us that it's quite a risky place to work - especially when you get down into the reactor area, the rest is a listlessly directed look at two pretty unlikeable principal characters surrounded by some petty cheats, thieves and liars. Perhaps the power plant was meant to a metaphor for the nature of their relationship? There is a train at the start, hence the title I guess, but there's not really very much grand about this dry, dark and dreary film.