La Couchette

On a night train from Paris, Maxwell, an English doctor, tries to sleep in bunk 9E. The carriage wakes around him when a loud, inebriated German, Jorg, intrudes into bunk 9D and unsettles the quiet. A laughing couple, Kath and Les, relocate themselves, leaving Jorg to reclaim the bed he first claimed, while Maxwell closes the door on the shifting chaos.

Jorg's earlier confusion subsides after Maxwell translates, revealing a strange malapropism of etiquette aboard the moving carriage. Beds are shuffled as Jorg moves to bunk 9F and Les to 9D, further jumbling the sleeping arrangements. The air grows thick with awkward humor and uneasy glances.

As dawn approaches, Shona returns with her bag and is joined by Hugo, who would rather linger in the carriage than in first class. They settle on bunk 9C and trade travel tales over a can of Carling. Hugo confesses he is ticketless, adding a jolt of reality to the intimate banter.

A body is discovered in bunk 9B, shocking the passengers and triggering a scramble of questions. Maxwell confirms the death and leaves to search for a guard, while the group processes their own fear and curiosity. A family photo from the dead man's pocket becomes a silent clue as Jorg hints at an emergency stop.

The group debates whether to pull the emergency stop, with Les considering smashing the glass while Hugo remains cool and calculating. The tense discussion underscores the train's claustrophobic pressure and the murky ethics of the passengers’ choices. The dead man's body remains tucked away near bunk 9B as Hugo awkwardly occupies the vicinity.

A series of small shocks punctuate the morning: Kath’s absence is noted, and the train jolts as it brakes abruptly. Hugo and the corpse tumble to the floor from their improvised perch, while Jorg stands and lowers his trousers in a surreal moment that heightens the danger. Les worries about the wedding and his own conscience gnaws at him.

In a bizarre turn, Jorg defecates into Kath's shoebox, which Hugo holds in his hands. The group processes the grisly act as the tension continues to mount. Shona notices the escalating strangeness while the train rattles on.

Shona observes a deer crossing the tracks, a moment of surreal quiet amid the chaos. Kath returns to the car with uneasy calm, rejoining the others as they try to restore some semblance of routine. The tension lingers as they brace for what comes next.

As the day unfolds, Maxwell dresses and prepares to finish the journey, and Kath discusses responsibility and the plan to attend the dead man's funeral after the wedding. Shona and Hugo decide to leave the carriage together, heading toward an uncertain but potentially hopeful future. The group steadies itself for the next phase.

Maxwell receives a call from his driver, who is waiting with Dr Meyer. The moment arrives when Maxwell whispers that he is 'terribly sorry' and speaks the name 'Meyer', revealing a sudden, dreadful misidentification. Jorg then steps away from the carriage, clearly revealing himself as Dr Meyer, the very person Maxwell believed he needed to interview.

The truth shatters Maxwell: he realizes he killed the wrong man. The carriage sinks into a grave, stunned silence as the passengers confront the consequences of chance and their own complicity. The collision of fate, logic, and guilt hangs heavy over the scene.

In the quiet after the reveal, the group drifts toward a fragile resolution as they prepare for a wedding and a funeral while living with a fatal misstep on a moving carriage. Maxwell's face remains a portrait of shock and remorse as the weight of the mistake settles over the train. The final image lingers on the moral cost of a single misstep aboard a moving carriage.