Café de Flore

Plot synopsis:
Healing a broken heart isn't easy. Sometimes it takes a lifetime...or two.
Cafe de Flore is a love story about people separated by time and place but connected in profound and mysterious ways. Atmospheric, fantastical, tragic and hopeful, the film chronicles the parallel fates of Jacqueline, a young mother with a disabled son in 1960s Paris, and Antoine, a recently-divorced, successful DJ in present day Montreal. What binds the two stories together is love - euphoric, obsessive, tragic, youthful, timeless love. Antoine, early 40s, seems to have it all: a thriving career, two beautiful daughters, partner Rose, with whom he is passionately in love. However, nothing is perfect and Antoine's ex-wife Carole remains devastated by their recent separation. Heartbroken, her sense of self has been shattered and her hold on reality has been gradually slipping away. Her dreams are haunted by two recurrent figures - Jacqueline, a young woman, and Laurent, her Down Syndrome - afflicted son - but the reason for their visits to her subconscious, and their meaning continue to elude her. We find Jacqueline and Laurent in 1960s Paris. Abandoned by her husband, Jacqueline sacrifices everything to care for her son. From the moment Laurent is born she promises herself to give him a "normal" life full of happiness. For years she fulfills that promise, joining herself at the hip to her son and watching over his every waking moment. One day at school Laurent befriends Véronique, another Down Syndrome child, forever changing things between mother and son. Carole, meanwhile, is still attempting to unravel the mystery of Jacqueline and Laurent. She sees them not only in her dreams but in her waking life too. Tormented by hallucinations, Carole attempts to suppress them with medication and illicit drugs before seeking out the help of a spiritual guide who leads her to believe that Jacqueline and Laurent are previous incarnations of her and Antoine who are attempting to send her a warning. When she senses Jacqueline and Laurents story could end tragically, Carole realizes she will have to choose a different path. In that moment, she has to decide whether the agony of heartbreak is too much to bear or if she can let go of her pain and move on with her life.
The title "Cafe de Flore" refers not to the famous Boulevard St-Germain café, but to a musical theme running through the film that connects the characters in 1960s Paris to those in present-day Montreal. Blending smooth electro beats with the retro sounds of big band strings and horns, the music sets the tone for a story about love in its many forms.Jean-Marc Vallée

Tags: romantic, flashback

Review:
(Read the full review at nickplusmovies.blogspot.com)Jean-Marc Vallée returns to his beloved Québécois roots with his latest work, "Café de flore", one of the many films that screened at TIFF back in September (and that I was lucky enough to see).
The story is composed of two interwoven narratives that-- only at first glance-- seem completely unrelated to one another.The first story is set in present-day Montreal and centers on a recently divorced father of two girls, Antoine Godin (Kevin Parent), who leads a successful life as a professional DJ.
While he features some more Pink Floyd ("Speak to Me/Breathe"), he makes of Sigur Ros's "Svefn-g-englar" the film's most haunting musical piece-- by far.There are far too many impressive performances in "Café de flore" to name.
Every time a certain song is heard in the background, one is bound to step inside the characters memories.The other story is the beauty of a mother-son relationship.
Remember, this was an era where children like him were discriminated and often sent to institutions.'Cafe de Flore' is truly a story about the power of love.
The visuals and acting performances are moving, as the film unfolds by layer, to at last reveal how both stories are connected..
This is a very unconventional love story, and it may be the most thoughtful movie every made about the idea that one person can be another person's soul mate.
It uses music beautifully as a thread that joins elements of the film together, binding emotional themes together and providing transitions between the two stories that it tells.
I can't think of another movie that finds such an unique approach to telling its tale.It is also the best Canadian film that I have seen in years.
The title refers not to the famous Paris café, but to a jazzy song with the same name that serves as a connection between each of the film's two parallel stories.
In addition to the title song, music plays a large role in the film as it did in C.R.A.Z.Y. with songs from Pink Floyd, Sigur Rós, and The Cure supporting key points in the narrative.Unfolding with a non-linear script that includes multiple flashbacks, flash-forwards, and cross-cutting, the stories take place in two time periods over forty years apart.
Antoine's first wife Carole (Hélène Florent) is distraught and yearns for reconciliation with the man she has always thought of as her soul mate since they came together as teenagers out of a shared love of music.Carole is urged by friends to let go of Antoine and move on, but she is obsessed with getting him back, telling her friend, "I've never kissed another man." She takes drugs to help her sleep, sleepwalks in the middle of the night, and has dreams and waking visions of a strange woman in Paris many years ago experiencing a similar pain in her relationship.
The parallel story is set in Paris in 1969, Jacqueline (Vanessa Paradis), a single mother cares for her young son Laurent (Lucas Bonin) who was born with Down's syndrome.
She was abandoned by her husband after Laurent's birth because he did not want to be a "missionary."Jacqueline is a devoted mother, showering her son with love, and intending to ensure that he lives past the norm of twenty-five years for a person with his condition.
Jacqueline wants to train Laurent to defend himself by learning how to box but, when he rebels at the idea, she teaches him to strike back through words which he uses to peak efficiency at the right moment.When Laurent is seven, he develops a close attachment to Veronique, another Down's syndrome child, an attachment that threatens his mother's obsessive protection and leads to an unforeseen turn in their relationship.
Reminiscent of Terence Malick's Tree of Life with its voice-overs reflecting the inner thoughts of the characters, it is a haunting experience and the mystical connection between its two stories will keep you in a Donnie Darko-like state of puzzlement long into the night and beyond..
it's a challenging, intriguing, mesmerizing, intoxicating look at love through two intertwined, overlapping stories -- set in past and present and both in different time periods -- about a man going through a divorce and the mother of a down's syndrome child.
And whether you believe in past lives or not (i don't and the director says he doesn't either), you will go on an unsettling emotional journey watching this visually stunning, amazingly acted movie.
After all, having a dream that connected to human beings is a dangerous thing to do.Using two parallel story lines is no more a novelty in film making.
Yet the film does not give us much information on the relation between the two very different stories—a single mother, Jacqueline, with her Down's syndrome son, Laurent, in 1960s and a couple (Carole and Antonio) facing betrayal and the sequential mental stress today.
Two and a half hours is a long duration for an independent art film, and in most of the time, these two stories are separately told, slowly and beautifully, and I thought maybe that's it, there would be no overlap between the two stories, until Carole figured out her connection with the mother and son from the last life.I watched Cafe de Flore by myself in a small cinema in the suburb of London.
The first story is set in present-day Montreal and centers on a recently divorced father of two girls, Antoine Godin (Kevin Parent), who leads a successful life as a professional DJ.
And to make the situation in which they find themselves even more difficult, their eldest daughter persistently plays their nostalgic love song with hopes of reuniting her parents.The second story is set in Paris in 1969 and focuses on Jacqueline (Vanessa Paradis), a self-sufficient, loving single mother who becomes the embodiment of perseverance and selflessness as she promises to devote herself both physically and spiritually to her son Laurent, who has been diagnosed with Down syndrome.
And to make the situation in which they find themselves even more difficult, their eldest daughter persistently plays their nostalgic love song with hopes of reuniting her parents.The second story is set in Paris in 1969 and focuses on Jacqueline (Vanessa Paradis), a self-sufficient, loving single mother who becomes the embodiment of perseverance and selflessness as she promises to devote herself both physically and spiritually to her son Laurent, who has been diagnosed with Down syndrome.
One day, when Laurent begins to be infatuated by Véronique, a new girl in his class-- who, incidentally, also has Down syndrome-- Jacqueline is struck by an overwhelming feeling as she fears that her inseparable bond with the only person she loves will be be lost with time.Up until the very end of the film, it seems like the only link between both stories is the music the characters listen to (the jazz album "Café de flore" appears in the second story while a certain remix is featured in the first one), but as we progress further into this mystical mystery, we learn that there is something much deeper tying together the characters and their stories of love and loss.
One day, when Laurent begins to be infatuated by Véronique, a new girl in his class-- who, incidentally, also has Down syndrome-- Jacqueline is struck by an overwhelming feeling as she fears that her inseparable bond with the only person she loves will be be lost with time.Up until the very end of the film, it seems like the only link between both stories is the music the characters listen to (the jazz album "Café de flore" appears in the second story while a certain remix is featured in the first one), but as we progress further into this mystical mystery, we learn that there is something much deeper tying together the characters and their stories of love and loss.
Knowing that "Café de flore" would be composed of intertwined stories, I was initially a little reluctant to seeing it and very worried that its structure would collapse within the first few minutes of the film.
Knowing that "Café de flore" would be composed of intertwined stories, I was initially a little reluctant to seeing it and very worried that its structure would collapse within the first few minutes of the film.
Cafe de Flore proposes two somewhat strange parallel story lines, that of a single mother of a Down's Syndrome boy in 1960's Paris, alongside that of a narcissistic professional DJ living in modern day Montreal, Canada.
Even though this parallel story line is pretty bizarre, the filming, especially the Paris scenes, are superb, the acting is great, and the connection between mother and son is incredible.
I thought the character of the young Down's syndrome girl could have been fleshed out a bit more, but apart from that its a very watchable film with great music and well crafted performances.
Café de Flore is a love story about people separated by time and place but connected in profound and mysterious ways.
Atmospheric, fantastical, tragic and hopeful, the film chronicles the parallel fates of Jacqueline, a young mother with a disabled son in 1960s Paris, and Antoine, a recently divorced, successful DJ in present day Montreal.
I'm not huge fan of non-chronological movie because it makes you depressive like Burning Man, We Need to Talk about Kevin & Memento off course.Vanessa Paradis gave a brilliant performance, she lived in that moment and her chemistry with the syndrome child is superb.
Helene Florent is great along with syndrome kids Marin Gerrier & Alice Dubois.On the whole, Cafe De Flore is a beautiful heartening movie, which will bring you in tears..
But the modern-day part of the film just kept getting worse as it went along -- unconvincing acting and storyline, and the "spiritual" and "romantic" aspect really came across as the enactment of a middle-aged guy's fantasy of having everything you want, and having everyone love you for essentially being a jerk.
An empty shell, beautifully filmed and great music with a story that want's to be great but is unfortunately kind of empty, the casting of the main characters as a younger version of themselves is so weak, that eventually only through strong dialogue did I get that the actors were playing younger versions of the leads...
To write too much about the plot would be unfair but it revolves around to parallel stories, one in Paris 1960's about a mother and her mongoloid son and the other in contemporary Montreal about a DJ who give up his first love for another girl.The acting in this ensemble drama is a complete standout.
Perfect example of modern movie making and totally unique love story with near perfect impact..
I can deeply relate to the characters in the story personally, especially the wife, and the artful use of music, emotion, familial relationships, and deep loyalties and care between the characters is flawless and impeccable.
I typically have a very short attention span for most movies, but the raw, unadorned, unapologetic delivery of these entwined, parallel stories was pulled together beautifully with excellent choices in music and perfect acting.
I will not spoil this film, however if you are a spiritual seeker, a sensitive person with emphatic abilities, a true dreamer who believes that love is the only way, than i urge you to watch this movie, not with an open mind but an open heart, as the mind will not be able to comprehend anything that this movie tries to transmit.
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.
At the beginning, i thought that the movie is too slow for me, but then, when i finally let myself to it and just went along with the story, i really loved it.
That's why i gave this movie such a good rating.Other than that, the acting was great, and the story was more or less original.
Café De Flore is everything I love about French Canadian movies : story that lingers for quite some time in your mind, amazing soundtrack, charismatic leads, great images.The movie travels through time and space (Montréal and Paris) and explores several relationships which eventually merge into one.
Both protagonists try to find a balance in order to love without causing any pain to themselves and others.The song that gave its title to the movie is pervasive but never annoying and it leads the characters to their common end like notes on a music sheet.Café De Flore explores the idea of reincarnation, karma, relationships, love, family and human suffering in a very modern and poetic way.Jean Marc Vallée made a great job in living up to the expectation of anyone who's seen and like CRAZY..
What gives the film its structure, however, is the link between the two stories, which at first is also denied us, but is eventually revealed: one of the characters is dreaming (or remembering, from a past existence), the life of an another.
The other segment is set in 1960s Paris and follows a woman & his son who suffers from Down syndrome.Written, directed & edited by Jean-Marc Vallée (best known for Dallas Buyers Club), Café de Flore isn't an easy film to decipher for the plot unfolds in a very complex manner, employs numerous flashbacks, flash-forwards & cross-cutting moments throughout its runtime while the fragmented narration, thematic elements & symbolisms only make it less accessible.From a technical standpoint, there isn't much wrong with this movie.
Editing is a troubled aspect though for it breaks the story into different segments, rearranging them to give a multi-layered structure which may not work out for everyone while the cast chips in with fair performances.However, my favourite aspect of the film is its expert use of music for the chosen songs are seamlessly infused into the plot & make the sitting through a worthwhile affair.
It's a film for those who enjoy going deeper in terms of thought and emotion, and ultimately seeing the spiritual path in life and how love plays a big role.
And Love is not always what we first think.It's a fascinating movie, very well made and acted, and the music and cutting in and out of scenes works very well and serves to deepen the experience and make it more rewarding.
Set in contemporary Montreal and 1960s Paris, CAFE DE FLORE comprises two parallel tales: the first involving Antoine, a contemporary DJ (Kevin Parent), his ex-wife Carole (Helene Florent) and his current girlfriend Rose (Evelyne Brochu): the other set in the Sixties with a mother Jacqueline (Vanessa Paradis) trying to look after her son Laurent (Marrin Gerrier) who suffers from Downs Syndrome.
As the film unfolds, however, so we understand how director Jean-Marc Vallée is preoccupied with the theme of obsession: both Jacqueline and Carole seem unnaturally attached to their nearest and dearest - so much so, in fact, that they find it increasingly difficult to let go.
It takes a bit of getting used to, but at the end we understand that the director is trying to explore the psychological state of mind of his two principal female characters cinematically, as well as telling a story.Whether the film works as a cohesive piece is a different matter.
The beauty here is all about the connective tissue who intertwins the two multilayered story lines, the power of music, the rawness and intensity of feelings in dreams and learning to let go.I was on the verge of tears a couple of times...
It wakes us up to the real meaning of love, marriage, relationships, signs, God. It explains the meaning of existence through a different set of characters always connected- like we all are.
There are two stories unravelling here some forty years apart; in present day Montreal a successful disc jockey, father of two young daughters, meets a woman he feels is his soul mate and albeit reluctantly divorces his wife.
By telling herself that story, the heartbroken Carole is able to make sense of her own heartbreak.For me, this film was far more irritating (especially the character of Antoine) than revelatory..
"Café de Flore" is truly a story about the power of love.
The film focuses on a number of different stories that seem to be connected somehow, but what remains true in all of them and is the focus and I think I should say, goal of the movie is to show love in various different forms.
The film shows a young mother's love of her son who lives with Down syndrome, the film shows a 40 year old DJ who seems to have just fallen out of love with what he thought was his soul mate and the wife he leaves behind who thinks there is still a connection to all this.
I really enjoyed Jacqueline's story in the film with her son, Laurent.
pretentious indie movie ; The film consist of stories.
The other story is set in 1960s Paris, Jacqueline a single mother of a child with Down syndrome Laurent.
Unfortunately, my wife and I did not like the film because it is much too complicated with the flashbacks and all and it takes a long time before you get the idea.
its all in Carols head!) flashbacks will make this a very hard film to follow in the first viewing.The movie tries to balance a fine line between spirituality and something I would call normal life, without that kind of artificial psychological helper mechanisms, but it does end up being somewhat confused in that regard.
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.