Watch Continental, un film sans fusil

Continental, un film sans fusil is a Canadian-French drama film from 2007, directed by Stéphane Lafleur. The movie tells the story of four individuals whose lives become intertwined during a 24-hour bus journey from a small town in Quebec to Montreal. The movie starts with an independent bus driver, Montreal, who is preparing for his daily round trip. He is informed that his usual bus has broken down and he will have to drive a different, older and more outdated bus. However, Montreal takes it as a challenge as he has a nostalgic feeling towards the older model.

Next, we see three passengers waiting at the bus stop. They are: Paulette, a woman in her fifties, who is traveling to Montreal to visit her son. At first, she seems to be a typical, active mother but slowly it is revealed that there is more to her story. She's dealing with an illness and is trying to keep it a secret from her son, but is also relieved to peek into someone else's life who is dealing with loneliness similar to hers.

The next passenger is a man who introduces himself as the Stranger. He is a curious, strange character who tries to talk to people and get to know them, in exchange for his strange stories. Nobody really wants to converse with him but he still keeps trying.

The third passenger is a young house-sitter called Sophie. She is trying to make her way to Montreal, and becomes part of the story by chance when she boards the wrong bus. At first, she seems like a typical, young, carefree woman because she's enjoying the journey but later, as the story unfolds, it's realized there’s more to her story as well.

Throughout the journey, the four characters engage in brief conversations, sometimes mundane, sometimes deep, revealing parts of their character and their life story. Montreal is the only constant character in the movie; other three passengers come and go during the journey making the movie symbolic of fleeting human connections.

All the while, the bus travels through the beautiful scenic countryside of Quebec, stopping briefly along the way, giving the passengers a chance to interact with each other and the environment around them. The map of the journey is painted well through natural landscape and towns, making bus travel seem like a cosy affair.

Lafleur has a subtle way of letting the characters reveal their inner motives and personal traumas to the audience -- without the characters themselves being aware of it. There's a constant feeling of loneliness in each character, trying to find their voice and meaning in the world. All characters seem to suffer from a lack of communication with others or themselves.

The theme of the movie remains closely connected to the title, "Continental, un film sans fusil" which roughly translates to "Continental, A Film Without Guns". To Lafleur, this does not only refer to the absence of visuals of guns, but the absence of the guns from the story altogether. Lafleur's message is "life and cinema can exist without violence."

Overall, Continental, un film sans fusil is a visual, poetic and philosophical journey that moves at its own pace, allowing the audience to ponder on the nuances of the characters' behaviours and thoughts. Stéphane Lafleur’s insight into the human psyche, his depiction of social anxiety and family matters and of the characters takes the audience on a journey that’s worth taking. While it may not be a movie for everyone, for those who enjoy movies that are more conceptual, meaningful and thought-provoking, Continental, un film sans fusil is definitely worth the watch.