Lost in Transit (1993)
"Tombés du ciel" (original title)

A traveller who has lost his passport in a Paris airport while between flights is restricted to a special transit zone. There he finds a group of similarly lost people hiding out and living... See full summary »

Director:

Philippe Lioret

Writers:

Philippe Lioret (scenario), Michel Ganz (scenario)

Stars:

Jean Rochefort, Marisa Paredes, Ticky Holgado

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jean Rochefort	...	Arturo Conti
Marisa Paredes	...	Suzana, la femme d'Arturo
Ticky Holgado	...	Serge
Laura del Sol	...	Angela
Sotigui Kouyaté	...	Knak
Ismaïla Meite	...	Zola
Jean-Louis Richard	...	Monsieur Armanet
José Artur	...	Le marchand de journaux
Olivier Saladin	...	Le restaurateur
Claude Derepp	...	Bébert, le planton (as Claude Dereppe)
Jacques Mathou	...	Policier contrôle 1
Christian Sinniger	...	Policier contrôle 2
Yves Osmu	...	Policier commissariat
Dimitri Radochevitch	...	Le chauffeur du car
Pierre Laplace	...	Inspecteur commissariat

Storyline

A traveller who has lost his passport in a Paris airport while between flights is restricted to a special transit zone. There he finds a group of similarly lost people hiding out and living from hand-to-mouth, reliant on their ingenuity to survive.

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Plot Keywords:

airport | passport | airplane | independent film

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Taglines:

S'il n'avait pas perdu son passeport tout ca ne serait jamais arrive...

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Details

Country:

France Spain

Language:

French

Release Date:

23 February 1994 (France)

Also Known As:

En tránsito

Company Credits

Production Co:

Epithète Films, Filmanía S.L., Bymages

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Version of The Terminal (2004)

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Soundtracks

"La nostalgie - Daleko tan"
(La chanson du car)
Musique: Jeff Cohen / Lyric: Alexandre Czastkiewicz
Chanteur polonais: Alexandre Czastkiewicz
Jeff Cohen, Piano
Carol Robinson, Clarinette
Xavier Gagnepain, Violoncelle
Alexis Galpéline, Violin
Frédéric Daverio, Accordéon
L'ensembre orchedtre: "Harmonia Nova"
Dirigé par Didier Bouture

User Reviews

In the woodworks of the sub-customs-area

What I really like about this movie is the way it transcends the border of ordinary drama, entering a mythical region. It tells a sort of a modern fairy tale – a big airport becomes a strange, enchanted castle.

The main character, a man in white socks and without shoes, is detained in the international section of the airport because together with his shoes all his documents were stolen. Unsympathetic officials prevent him from entering the „outer world", he has to remain „en sous-douane". This means, literally translated, in the sub-customs-area, but the way the expression is used it really sounds like a special state of mind and existence in which one ceases to be entirely human and becomes a kind of a ghost. Of course, the movie wants to make it plain, that it can happen to anyone.

The hero meets other people who are in a permanent state of „sous-douane", a little international crowd, a tiny microcosm. They are like some kind of brownies or kobolds who know the airport inside out, passing their time going rabbit hunting between the runways or exploring the entrails of the huge substructure of the airport. The hero gets released from the castle he is forced to haunt, nobody saves the others who remain behind.

Tombés du ciel (fallen from the skies) is a good drama with an excellent international cast and many real airport locations that is not easily forgotten.