Kazuo Ishiguro, the Nobel Prize-winning novelist, has long held a fascination with train movies, a passion that recently culminated in his curation of a special film season at the British Film Institute (BFI) Southbank. The event, running throughout July, features a selection of ten films in which trains are not merely settings but integral to the storytelling, reflecting Ishiguro’s belief that train movies form a distinctive subgenre in cinema.

The idea for the season grew during Ishiguro’s work on the 2022 film *Living*, an adaptation of Akira Kurosawa’s *Ikiru* (1952). Rather than retaining Kurosawa’s original setting—a sake-fueled wake—the novelist chose to relocate the pivotal scene to a vintage railway carriage. When asked why, Ishiguro candidly responded that he simply loves train movies. This revelation unleashed a wave of enthusiasm among filmmakers and cinephiles, including acclaimed directors like Martin Scorsese and Walter Hill, who offered suggestions for films to include.

Ishiguro found himself inundated with recommendations, some more serious than others. Notably, Guillermo del Toro and Alfonso Cuarón reportedly campaigned persistently for the inclusion of *Horror Express* (1972), a Spanish-British horror starring Christopher Lee, which Ishiguro derided as “about the worst” train film he had seen. Despite pressure from respected directors, Ishiguro maintained strict criteria for selection, insisting that for a movie to qualify it needed to have the train as the central environment, rather than simply featuring a memorable train sequence. As a result, classics such as *Night Train to Munich* (1940) and *La Bête Humaine* (1938) were excluded.

The ten films in the lineup represent a broad cross-section of styles and eras, including iconic classics like Josef von Sternberg’s *Shanghai Express* (1932), Alfred Hitchcock’s *The Lady Vanishes* (1938), and Sidney Lumet’s *Murder on the Orient Express* (1974). Lesser-known films such as Walter Forde’s *Rome Express* (1932), which Ishiguro praises as “criminally overlooked,” also feature. Combining British thriller sensibilities with a shadowy, proto-noir atmosphere due to the involvement of Weimar cinema veterans, *Rome Express* stands as a unique bridge between cinematic traditions.

One notable inclusion is the 2005 portmanteau film *Tickets*, portraying diverse passengers—from refugees to football fans—journeying from Innsbruck to Rome. Directed by Ermanno Olmi, Abbas Kiarostami, and Ken Loach, all Cannes Palme d’Or winners, the film is relatively obscure. Ishiguro considers Kiarostami’s segment, featuring an irascible Italian widow, particularly exemplary.

The season also includes modern and allegorical takes on train narratives. Bong Joon-ho’s *Snowpiercer* (2013) imagines humanity’s survivors trapped on a perpetually circling, class-divided train and is described by Ishiguro as an “out-and-out metaphor” for society. Similarly, Andrei Konchalovsky’s *Runaway Train* (1985) presents an unrelenting locomotive speeding through the Alaskan wilderness as a symbol of an indifferent universe.

Ishiguro highlights the storytelling potential of train settings, where passengers are naturally forced into close quarters, fostering interactions and narratives that might otherwise feel contrived. He notes that trains create an “intimate” environment, ideal for suspense and serendipity, in contrast to the more artificial constraints on ships or airplanes.

This passion for train films has influenced Ishiguro’s upcoming ninth novel, *Miss Lambert Steps Aboard Danger*, set on a 1938 train bound for Scotland. He found that many cinematic advantages of train settings translate well to literature, especially in bringing together diverse characters efficiently to explore their relationships.

The BFI’s “Station to Station: Kazuo Ishiguro’s Top 10 Train Films” runs from July 1 to 31, inviting audiences to experience the unique blend of mystery, drama, and atmosphere that train movies can offer.