As we near the halfway point of the year, one of the great performances of 2023 thus far comes courtesy Charlotte Gainsbourg in Mikhaël Hers’ new drama The Passengers of the Night. Following a woman adrift in 1980s Paris (and even referencing one of the best films of the respective decade, Éric Rohmer’s Full Moon in Paris), the drama is carefully attuned to the emotions of everyone that graces the screen. Reeling from a divorce while balancing job prospects and a relationship with her two teenage children as well as a new teenager that enters her life, Passengers exudes a mature poeticism in every scene. Ahead of a release at the end of the month starting at IFC Center, the new U.S. trailer has now arrived.
Here’s the official synopsis for the Berlinale and TIFF selection: “On election night in 1981, celebrations spill out onto the street and there is an air of hope and change throughout Paris. But for Elisabeth, her marriage is coming to an end, and she will now have to sup- port herself and her two teenage children. She finds work at a late-night radio show and encounters a troubled teenager named Talulah whom she invites into her home. With them, Talulah experiences the warmth of a family for the first time. Although she suddenly disappears, her free spirit has a last- ing influence. Elisabeth and her children grow in confidence and begin to take risks, changing the trajectory of their lives.”
Watch below.
The Passengers of the Night opens on June 30 at IFC Center.