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Café de Flore Synopsis




Following his British period drama The Young Victoria, writer/director "Jean-Marc Vallée returns to French-based filmmaking with this powerful and unconventional love story in which two disparate narratives are rhythmically woven together to create a tale of emotion and destiny.

The stories center on a devoted mother (Vanessa Paradis) of a young boy with Down syndrome in 1960's Paris, and a successful D.J. (Kevin Parent) who is going through an emotional divorce in present-day Montreal. Antoine seems to have it all: a thriving career, two beautiful daughters and a 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. What binds the two stories together is love - euphoric, obsessive, tragic, youthful, timeless love.

As it did in Vallée’s huge hit C.R.A.Z.Y., music plays a crucial role in Café de flore, encapsulating the characters’ memories and emotions, forming the soundtracks to their lives and sets the tone for a story about love in its many forms.




Running Time
Rating
120 minutes
14-A
Release to DVD: T.B.A.




Click on each image to see a larger picture.






Awards


Atlantic Film Festival Winner: Best Canadian Film
Vancouver International Film Festival
Winner: Best Canadian Feature

Winner Best Supporting Actress in a Canadian Film: (Hélène Florent)

Nomination Best Director: Jean-Marc Vallée

Nomination Best Actress in a Canadian Film: Vanessa Paradis
2012 Genie Nominations
Best Picture

Best Achievement in Direction: Jean-Marc Vallée

Best Original Screenplay: Jean-Marc Vallée

Best Actress: Vanessa Paradis

Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Marin Gerrier

Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Hélène Florent

Art Direction/Production Design

Cinematography

Costume Design

Overall Sound

Sound Editing

Visual Effects





The Critics Comment






Globe and MaIl/Guy Dixon
Simply a beautiful, intricate film.

Time Magazine/Mary Corliss The film is generous to all its besotted creatures, and to the audience as well. Viewers who fall in love with Café de Flore will find that it loves them back.

Toronto Sun/Bruce Kirkland
You end up guessing at the plot twists. That is the fun part. You marvel at the characters. That is when the film is more challenging.

Toronto Star/Peter Howell
Café de flore leaves you wrestling with your emotions, not sure of how to react.

National Post/Chris Knight
It’s great to see a filmmaker run headlong at a story. The results are as often a flame-out as a stand-out, but full-bore is never boring. And the latest from Quebec writer/director Jean-Marc Vallée is a masterpiece, combining two twisty narratives set 40 years apart on separate continents.

CBC/Eli Glasner
Although each storyline has more than enough on its own, Vallée toggles between the two like a DJ working the crossfader. As we fall deeper inside, the membrane between the two worlds fades, until we're barreling towards the pulse-pounding conclusion.

Montreal Gazette/Brendan Kelly
It seems funny to say, but a lot of filmmakers aren’t that cinematic. They make movies, but they have little sense of the potential of the medium. Jean-Marc Vallée is not one of those people. The Montreal director lives and breathes cinema – and music – and his films showcase a remarkable grasp of the power of big-screen art, with breathtaking visuals, music-fuelled magic and inspired editing.

Vancouver Sun/Jay Stone
Love is a puzzle, but never more so than in Café de Flore, a delirious conundrum by Quebec filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallée that blends memory, music and deep attachment into a romance spanning decades. This isn’t an easy film to understand, but it’s a simple one to luxuriate in.





Related Links



Internet Movie Database
Rotten Tomatoes
Official Web Site




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