“closely watched trains” or “ost?e sledovan? vlaky” (1966) is a czechoslovak comedy drama by Ji?? Menzel
variableUberwriter
After failing in bed with his love interest, a simple railroad dispatcher joins the resistance during World War II to prove his manhood
Share
There’s this other version I could think of
“After the youngest from a disgraceful family becomes a railroad dispatcher, he joins the resistance during Hitler’s regime to prove his manhood”
But I prefer the version I originally posted
Even if the Inciting Incident I specified happens around the midpoint, since it acts as a real catalyst to his arc.
Not sure the first version cuts it for two reasons;
Firstly, that event, like you said, happens late in the story and it relates more to his sense of self-worth than to his outer goal. Loglines are meant to describe the MC’s plot in pursuit of the outer goal not their inner arch.
The second reason is that his shame is what made him do it as it predated the sex thing.
variable:
First of all, thanks for posting? a logline for this film.? It? was an inciting incident that got me to (finally) view the film,? check it off my? must-watch list.
Here is my take:
After a lowly railroad dispatcher fails in bed with his girl friend, he desperately seeks a way to prove his manhood.
(21 words)
But, of course, this does do not justice to the film.? Nor can I think of a logline that does. The film simply does not conform to standard dramatic conventions in terms of how a plot is supposed to be laid out.? It is a product of its time, specifically the repressive political and cultural situation in Czechoslovkia during the Soviet occupation.
(Spoiler alert)
The film ends with an ironical punchline:? he finally finds a woman wit whom he can prove his manhood , sets a date for an encore performance with his girl friend — and then gets killed while carrying out another act of manhood, blowing up a train loaded with ammunition for the Nazi war effort.