Café de Flore (2012)

Very best movie i ever watch

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

I went into this film knowing nothing about it, other than the fact that it was in French. I hadn't read the DVD blurb so I had no idea what to expect, I got a pleasant surprise when I started watching.Not knowing what was happening originally I was trying to make out what was the connection between the two stories. The unexpected chopping between the two, and also the varying timelines in the story itself, was distracting but very effective in my enjoyment of the film.When the final reveal came it all clicked together and made sense of everything that had happened before and while maybe a little cliched it worked in this case.My biggest praise for the movie however came afterwards as I lay in bed instead of going to sleep I was going over and over the movie, piecing the movie together and enjoying it more and more. It is sign of a good movie that I still react to it after the credits roll. Normally I switch off and move on to something new. I recommend giving this film a watch.

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.

I loved this film. You spend a long time wondering what the connection is between the two separate love stories and only find out very close to the end. I found it worth the wait. It completely changed my view of the relationship between Antoine and the younger woman he has left His beloved wife for. You have to watch the whole film and the credits to really get it, but once you do it becomes a much more satisfying and haunting film and i think i'll enjoy it even more second time around. I only saw it yesterday but i'll be watching it again very soon. The music is integral to the story and works perfectly. The performances are excellent from everyone, especially the children. Watch this film, it really is worth two hours of anyone's time.

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 !