[rewind] café de flore

This may very well be one of my favourite films and trying to articulate exactly what this movie evokes is proving to be quite difficult.

I should state that this is not one for everyone, starting with the fact that it’s a French film and if subtitles aren’t your thing, bow out now gracefully…

Haunting, heartbreaking and emotionally resonant; at its simplest, Café de Flore is an epic love story. More than that, however, it’s a story of tragedy and loss; a story of hope and hopelessness. It’s about religion and spirituality. It’s about holding on and knowing when to let go. It’s about family. It’s about the deepest kind of love imaginable.

French-Canadian director Jean-Marc Vallée has made an ambitious and very intense film.  Released in 2011, Café de Flore is a fractured narrative with two intertwined timelines set decades apart.

One tells us the story of single mother Jacqueline (Vanessa Paradis) who, abandoned by her husband, raises her son Laurent who has Downs Syndrome. Bear in mind in that day and age people born with Downs Syndrome were usually institutionalised, Jacqueline is determined to give her son the best and most normal life possible, believing that with the right care she can prolong his 25-year life expectancy.

Meanwhile, in present-day Montreal, we meet Antoine (Kevin Parent), who appears to have the perfect life: A woman he loves (Evelyne Brochu), two beautiful daughters and a successful career as a DJ.  However, through flashbacks we discover that Antoine’s daughters are the product of his marriage to his first love, Carole (Helene Florent), who is still very much in love with him.

Devastated by the loss of the man who she shares a love with that she believes is ‘written in the stars,’ Carole’s grief manifests in nightmares and sleepwalking, medicating herself while she waits for Antoine to come to his senses.

Both narratives are different in tone and time and seemingly mysteriously linked for the majority of the film as the audience tries to grasp at possible clues and connections. What could be a frustrating endeavour is quite encompassing as we’re already hooked delving further into each tale and discovering more about each character.

In Jacqueline’s tale we look to the future to discover the story and get answers, but with Carole and Antoine we rely on the past to unravel the details and put things into perspective.

This puzzling and slightly fantastical tale is grounded with such solid gritty performances by its cast. Vanessa Paradis and Helene Florent are simply stunning. Everything they said or did was said and done with utter conviction, that it was impossible not to empathise with them and put oneself in their place, making any emotional upheavals all the greater. Their characters were both so strong for the same and also very different reasons.

While the film may be abstract in theory, the conclusion rounds it out. A concrete and complete ending allows viewers some answers, demystifying the emotional whirlwind. When the connection between Jacqueline’s struggle and Antoine and Carole’s struggle is revealed, it’s powerful and moving and comes out of faith and hope and something more.

Music in this film acts almost as another character.  A sublime soundtrack scored by Sigur Rós, the music is quite prevalent and much more than background ambience. A lot of the emotional punch the movie delivers is heightened by the music, which at times acts as a trigger to a narrative shift.

Songs that stand out are Pink Floyd’s ‘Breathe’ and Sigur Rós’ ‘Svefn-g-engalr’, but without a doubt the most important song in the film is that which its name is derived from, Doctor Rockit’s ‘Café de Flore’.

In an interview, Vallée said “It all started with a song.” He listened to the melody of Café de Flore for three years saying to himself that he would one day make a film of the track and the end result is magnificent. The passion he has for music is evident and perfectly display within the film, something truly marvellous to experience.

I can’t recommend this film enough. It’s so unlike anything I’ve seen before and without a doubt, needs more than one viewing to fully understand and appreciate the nuances and the symbolism. While I fully intend to do so, I need to give my poor little heart a break from the emotional turmoil it endured before I can attempt it again.