It is truly the action of an unstable mind to think that hijacking a bus full of innocent children would lead to undying devotion from the person for which the act was executed to impress. Bruno actually had the nerve to look shocked when he found several branches of the police department were trying to catch him.
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Fifi20 February 1999
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A young lad lives a long way from his girlfriend, and after being jostled by his friends he decides that he has to go and see her. When he checks his money he discovers that he has none so decides that the only way to get to her is to use force. Thus he boards his brother's school bus and hijacks it taking him and the kids onto a very interesting adventure. Compared to an American movie, such a plot would have heaps of action and a bloody shootout at the end where the hero goes down in a blaze of glory, but Autobus is no such movie. True to French style, there is more interest in the development of the characters than there is with huge amounts of action. The characters are interesting. The hijacker, Bruno, is really a frustrated kid who just wants to see his girlfriend. He does what he does out of desperation and does not want to believe that there is no way he can get escape. He feels that because he is in control, he can take on the world. It is only later when things seem to fall apart that he realises that he cannot take on the world. The turning point is the pub scene where everybody is just laughing at him, and he cannot do anything about it. The teacher, who has no name, is also an interesting character for she sees right through Bruno to understand that he is just a confused kid who did the wrong thing. He made a mistake, and a pretty big one at that, and he does pay for it in the end. As I said, if this was an American movie, it would end in a blazing shoot out, but it doesn't. These are real people in a real situation. For Bruno to fire the gun at someone would be completely out of character. We are told constantly through the movie that everybody is shocked at what Bruno has done. Bruno is not a violent man and he is only doing what he is doing out of misguided love. It is interesting to note that Bruno has convinced himself that he has done this for love, but the teacher tells him that there is no love in this, rather he is just scaring little children. His girlfriend is also scared, and when she says this, and slams down the phone, he realises that what the teacher said is true. The teacher plays the role of a teacher to Bruno. She begins by scolding him but then takes him under her wing and tries to guide him through the mistake that he has made. In the end even the bus driver wants to help him, but the look of dejection on their faces as they drive back home, reveals people who don't really want to see Bruno punished for his mistake. The truth is what the Minister of Justice says, Bruno must be punished, if he is not then everybody will think that hijacking a school bus full of kids is okay.
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lori.m10 August 2000Aux Yeux du monde's main protagonist, Bruno, is an extremely misguided male who, at the age of twenty-two, has no aim in life and still lives with his mum. He is a joke amongst his peers and is respected by no-one. The film establishes all this in about five minutes and then it's off into the main gist of the plot...
Bruno makes it known to us that he is a nutcase by using his gun to hi-jack a schoolbus containing twenty-two children. The children's teacher(played by Kristin Scott-Thomas) objects strongly to this crazy act but is silenced when Bruno puts a bullet in the bus' roof. It turns out that Bruno's reason behind the hi-jacking is, simply enough, to impress his girlfriend. Which is admittedly ridiculous, but there's more development on that score throughout the film.
One thing you must get straight about this film is to not to have any misconceptions about it. It isn't an action-packed thrill ride akin to Keanu Reeves' "Speed", the main focus here is character interaction, at which this film excels. Although relationships get off to a(literally) bumpy start, things change and soon enough, Bruno is able to peacefully converse with the teacher and also develops a strong relationship with the children. The male bus driver is more stubborn though, and it is only near to the end that we see he has a liking for Bruno.
We get to know Bruno's girlfriend, Juliette, over a series of conversations he has with her during occasional stops at telephone boxes. At first, the hi-jacking has the desired effect on her and she finds her excitement hard to conceal, but its not long before she starts having doubts. Bruno is disheartened by this, but his love for her drives him forward to Spain, where she lives.
It soon becomes evident that Bruno has another motive, besides Juliette, for the hi-jacking: he feels a desperate need to prove himself. With an average height and non-muscular build, he feels depressingly inferior. His self-deluding(they don't really believe he'll kill them) domination over the children and two adults provides him with the sense of superiority he so dearly craves. Whether he'll escape the clutches of the police and get into Spain with his new-found masculinity, however, is a matter left to the film's ending.
It's surprising that, at one hundred minutes, you feel like you've been watching the film for a whole lot longer. This is to do with the fact that you've got to know the characters on such a deep level. The children are only there to be cute but the personalities of the bus driver, teacher, Juliette and Bruno are all thoroughly explored. And for that, the film leaves you feeling wholly satisfied.
Rating: 4 out of 5 -
themarzipanfiend22 January 2001COULD SPOIL IT FOR YOU, BUT YOU WOULDN'T CARE MUCH ANYWAY This is a film that i've only seen twice. It plays on the bizzare premise that hijacking a bus full of schoolchildren would make your girlfriend believe that you love her. However, the film is remarkably well executed, with a score that caught my mind. There is superb acting from the main two characters, but the supporting cast let the film down a bit. A film that is worth seeing however.
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dbdumonteil8 August 2006A man tried to attract Jodie Foster's attention by trying to kill President Reagan.
So why not hijacking a of schoolbus to attract my girlfriend's attention? Let's put it straight: his attempt was doomed and the director's film is a failure too.
Schoolteacher's honor! There are too many unlikelihoods.I have traveled by bus with children so many times I know what I'm talking about: during 48 hours ,these children do not eat (once,Scott-Thomas offers biscuits and that's it),do not drink,do not ask to go to the toilets...and do not even wet themselves!!And what about the parents?They never show! When the children return,they must be exhausted ,but no matter,they return by the same bus.If I had had a child in this coach,I would have gone to Chatellerault to pick him/her up!
Most of the time,the dialog Bruno/Schoolteacher/Driver does not ring true and most of the young man's lines are clichés probably found in very old flicks such as Ray's "rebel without a cause" .Bruno is a big child,harmless and irresponsible .The schoolteacher is supposed to provide the movie with the "sensible" " mature " character but she can be as stupid as he is: why for instance does she give him back the weapon ?There's a very unfriendly look at the driver ,and then again,I know from experience that these men have a thankless work,and in spite of what Scott-Thomas claims,they ,too , have heavy responsibilities.Making the driver almost a coward is an insult to the people in the profession.
Charlotte Gainsbourg appears as Bruno's girlfriend.She does not seem to realize how serious the situation is!