Night Ride

There’s a sense of magic and possibility present from the start in Eirik Tveiten’s Oscar-shortlisted Night Ride. Vergard Landsverk’s chocolate box cinematography presents us with a snowy landscape limned with dark pines, where a pool of light reveals a solitary tram stop. There, Ebba (Sigrid Kandal Husjord) is waiting, feeling less than enchanted, huddled up in a thick coat but still feeling the cold. The tram driver doesn’t care. He tells her that it’s half an hour until the tram is due to depart, and no, she can’t wait inside it. So when he goes for a piss, she forces the doors open. The trouble is, she can’t get them closed again. Going over to the driver’s seat, she looks for a button which might do it – and you can guess what happens next.

The tale of a runaway tram is a natural charmer, but it’s how the story develops from here that makes Night Ride special. As the tram follows its route, Ebba, not wanting other people to be stuck like she was, stops to pick up passengers. Amongst them is an attractive young woman, and the moment that she sees her board, Ebba is concerned – she can see that two young male passengers are going to make trouble. At first the woman seems to have things under control, but then the situation abruptly deteriorates, and Ebba has a difficult choice to make. As a little person, she has already been on the receiving end of abuse from the men, and she’s aware of her physical vulnerability – but she also, very clearly, empathises with the woman in danger. Her solution is a stroke of genius which will delight viewers, and makes this a thoroughly satisfying, ripping yarn.

Husjord is fantastic throughout, giving Ebba a weight of emotional complexity but also handling the film’s moments of deadpan comedy with perfect timing. She gives Ebba a world-weary quality which most people will easily relate to in the context of dealing with public transport, but also an innate toughness and sense of mischief which make her actions believable. Anything seems possible on this strange night, but only Ebba is aware of just how off-kilter the situation already is, and that gives her a kind of power. The very fact that people think they can pigeonhole her – and the young woman likewise – means that they can be quickly thrown off balance when she subverts their expectations.

It’s rare to see a film about prejudice which is heartwarming and joyous like this. Night Ride is a real gem. Little details in the production design reveal a deep understanding of the worlds its minority characters inhabit, giving it an authenticity which balances its anarchic spirit. The tram may follow a pre-set route, but audiences are on track for a surprise.