Kieslowski, who would go on to become one of the most famous of all European directors, made this as a student film. The story is simple and is a variation on a theme which has been repeated many times before and since - boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy tries to get girl back. Where it is notable is (characteristically of Kieslowski) its attention to detail and sense of place. As it is silent, it lacks Kieslowski's use of music to set mood, which can be seen in another, roughly contemporary, student short, "The Face".
This short is available on the DVD of "White", and the two movies are interesting to contrast with each other. Both are concerned with romance, but in the short running time of "The Tram" Kieslowski could not, or would not, offer any neat answers . . . the final image is the young man running, chasing his love interest, leaving us unsure whether he has a chance of catching her, much less what might take place when he does. Both "The Tram" and "White", then, play on the fear of realizing your love for a partner just as that partner has left your life.
This short is available on the DVD of "White", and the two movies are interesting to contrast with each other. Both are concerned with romance, but in the short running time of "The Tram" Kieslowski could not, or would not, offer any neat answers . . . the final image is the young man running, chasing his love interest, leaving us unsure whether he has a chance of catching her, much less what might take place when he does. Both "The Tram" and "White", then, play on the fear of realizing your love for a partner just as that partner has left your life.