Powerful

Overrated and overhyped

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

After watching three charming 1927 shorts last night I decided to get back to watching feature flicks. Checking BBC iPlayer,I was intrigued to find a recent Quebec French film I've heard nothing about,which led to me booking a table at the café.The plot:Touring around the world as a DJ, Antoine tries to take care of his children whilst also falling in love with girlfriend Rose. Feeling that he wants to take the next step with Rose,Antoine starts to think how this will complicate things with his ex-wife Carole.In 1960's Paris,single mother Jacqueline passionately takes care of her Down syndrome son Laurent. Each appearing to live separate lives,Antoine spins a tune that he,Rose,Carole,Laurent and Jacqueline all sing across time.View on the film:Tightly coiled in the love they have for each other Vanessa Paradis & Marin Gerrier both give exceptional performances as Jacqueline and Laurent. Going against demands for him to be put in a "specialist" hospital, Paradis expresses Jacqueline's love for her son in an incredibly subtle way,via the change in her open facial expressions and protective body language displaying how important giving her love to Laurent is. Embracing his mum's love, Marin Gerrier gradually breaks open a rift between them,as Laurent puts his hands out for love from another.Spinning the wheels of steel with EDM and Pink Floyd,writer/editor/director Jean-Marc Vallée and cinematographer Pierre Cottereau give Antoine's thread a slick "clubbing" appearance,where neon blue and yellow lights flick across the screen. Making 60's Paris look like a Costume Drama, Vallée paints Jacqueline and Laurent and drab,dour browns and yellows chipping into the hardships they face.Drifting between the two threads,the screenplay by Vallée hits the heart of the film when focusing on Laurent and Jacqueline,thanks to their relationship being given a humble Neo-Realist edge,focusing on the obsessive,protective love that Laurent and Jacqueline become caught in. Attempting to match the drama from the duo, the suburban trouble Antoine becomes tangled in disappointingly fails to match the deep emotions in Jacqueline and Laurent's tale. Keeping the drama grounded, Vallée brings a New Age twist in which undermines all that has taken place,with the dialogue spilling into inane spiritual nonsense which shuts the café doors.

The cinematography, the use of music and a very dynamic editing (done by Vallée himself) are the strong features of this movie.Unfortunately, when it comes to the 'meat', script, dialogue and acting, the movie is showing weakness. All the main characters are badly played, partly because they don't have a lot to say, partly because the casting is bad. The only good acting is from the 2 kids with Down syndrome.When he comes to 'explain' the characters, Vallée uses very little dialogue. So half of the movie is just watching the main characters smiling stupidly in front of the camera. Or talking to a psychiatrist (I prefer to understand a character in a way that is not a lazy shortcut like this interview).Overall, a movie that reminds me a little bit of Kieślowski (Double life of Veronique) or Terence Malick (the conflict 'resolution' at the end of Tree Of Life).Ambitious movie that only partially succeed.

not exactly a film. but a mirror. a travel. a map. a touching testimony about people, feelings, search of happiness, errors, expectations. and escapes. beautiful, sad and unique. delicate as paper ash. strong like a spider web. fresh like a winter deep morning. more important - memorable. a puzzle. many colors. more many nuances. gestures, words. as bones of strange - dark - terrible forms of love. its object - axis of a form of personal religion as instrument to fight against world. or skin for a golden circle of appearances. verdict - must see Vanessa Paradis performance in an extraordinary role. must see Café de Flore: like q run out of yourself: like run to yourself. like a therapy session.for discover - and understand - the real form of small things, smells or gestures. must see it !

IMHO there are two categories of movies: the ones that impress me when I see it, like Hollywood blockbusters which shock me with stunning visual effects, or action scenes, or dramas. There is another category, that don't produce much of an impression when I see it, I get even bored wondering myself why did I pay the ticket for it. But.. suddenly after a couple of hours, or days, they become alive inside me and haunt me after. "Cafe De Flore" is one of those! It doesn't have a story to tell, it is pure art. The authors plant a seed that is intended to grow inside the viewer. It doesn't try to convince you of anything, doesn't draw a conclusion in the end, just places frame after frame and leave the interpretation to you. I would rate it 8 out of 10. regards, Andrei