Cafè Express

The story unfolds primarily on the night trains running between Naples and Vallo della Lucania, using the moving carriages as a living backdrop. The interiors of carriages, compartments, and stations become intimate spaces where passengers' lives briefly intersect. Michele moves through the train with vacuum flasks and sugar packets, turning a precarious hustle into a small, nocturnal ecosystem.

💪 Survival

The film centers on a man who scrapes by on a perilous night-shift economy, where every cup sold and every lie told is a step toward keeping his son alive. Survival here is physical, financial, and emotional, revealing how poverty forces ingenuity and risk. The nocturnal setting intensifies the stakes, making ordinary acts of commerce feel like acts of endurance.

🗣️ Storytelling

Michele crafts vivid tales to engage passengers and cover his own vulnerabilities, turning each carriage into a stage. The stories become a tool for connection, distraction, and hope, illustrating how narrative can sustain someone facing hardship. Through wit and invention, he negotiates trust with strangers who become temporary allies.

👨‍👦 Family

The central motive is Michele's son, whose congenital heart condition drives every decision and risk he takes. The father–son bond frames the ethics of Michele's hustle, making personal sacrifice a visible currency. The urgency of the son's potential surgery casts a long shadow over the nocturnal journey.