La Couchette

Maxwell is a doctor who has been sent to meet Dr Meyer for a job interview. When he discovers a dead body in bunk 9B, he appears to kill this innocent man, likely believing him to be Dr Meyer, to eliminate the competition for the position. The dead man turns out to be a random passenger, making Maxwell's act a horrific mistake rather than a calculated murder of his intended target.

Early in the journey, Maxwell receives a phone call mentioning Dr Meyer and an upcoming interview, establishing his professional motive.

Dr Meyer is a doctor whom Maxwell has been sent to meet for a job interview. Maxwell receives a phone call from his driver during the journey confirming that Dr Meyer is also on the train and waiting to meet him. This professional stakes creates the fatal misunderstanding that drives the film's tragic ending.

The phone call near the end reveals Maxwell's driver is waiting with Dr Meyer, confirming the interview arrangement.

The phone call reveals that Maxwell's driver is waiting at the destination with Dr Meyer, confirming Maxwell has been traveling to meet the real Dr Meyer for a job. When Maxwell whispers to the dead body that he is 'terribly sorry' and says 'one candidate,' he believes he has eliminated his competition, only to discover Jorg is actually Dr Meyer.

Earlier hints about Maxwell's professional ambitions establish his motive for the killing.

After Maxwell confesses to the body and mentions 'Meyer,' Jorg, whom Maxwell assumed was just a drunk German passenger, crisply dresses and steps away from the carriage, revealing himself as the actual Dr Meyer. The truth shatters Maxwell: he murdered a completely innocent person while the real Dr Meyer was sitting nearby the entire time.

Jorg's name and presence are established early, though his identity is hidden until the reveal.

Maxwell is desperate for the medical position and believes the dead man in bunk 9B must be his competition. When he discovers the body, he seizes what he sees as an opportunity to remove the only other candidate. The revelation that he killed a random passenger, while the real Dr Meyer was alive nearby, makes his mistake tragically ironic.

Maxwell's tension about the interview is established early through his phone conversations.

The discovery of the dead body in bunk 9B shifts the tone from awkward comedy to psychological thriller. The confined train setting intensifies moral dilemmas: should they stop the train? What to do with the body? Maxwell's decision to kill the already-dead man, believing him to be Dr Meyer, transforms the situation from a tense mystery into a bleak tragedy of mistaken identity.

The meta notes indicate the tone pivots from 'darkly comedic' to 'DARK' and 'BLEAK' after the corpse discovery.

Shona notices the train has struck a deer on the tracks, which briefly halts the journey and adds to the mounting chaos. The incident occurs as Kath returns to the carriage, and it marks one of several surreal moments that punctuate the escalating tension before the final devastating revelation.

The deer collision is a brief surreal beat amid the mounting psychological pressure.

Hugo confesses he has no ticket for the journey, an act of either honesty or recklessness, while flirting with Shona. This revelation adds a jolt of reality to the intimate carriage banter and establishes Hugo as a somewhat unreliable character, though his ticketless status doesn't figure into the main plot's resolution.

Hugo's ticketless status is introduced during the dawn scene with Shona.

Kath and Les discuss attending the dead man's funeral after their wedding, showing their attempt to take responsibility for the night's events. Shona and Hugo decide to leave the carriage together, moving toward an uncertain but potentially hopeful future as a couple. Maxwell prepares to finish his journey to the interview, unaware of the catastrophic mistake he is about to make.

The various characters' post-journey plans are discussed in the daylight hours, building toward the climax.

Maxwell is an English doctor trying to rest in bunk 9E, but the constant disturbances from other passengers, Jorg's intrusion, the bed-shuffling, the couple's activities, and ultimately the discovery of the dead body, prevent him from sleeping. His sleeplessness also reflects his underlying anxiety about the upcoming interview with Dr Meyer.

Maxwell's first line establishes his desire to 'dormir' (sleep) in calm, immediately disrupted.