Café de Flore (2011)

A love story between a man and woman. And between a mother and her son. A mystical and fantastical odyssey on love.

Director:

Jean-Marc Vallée

Writer:

Jean-Marc Vallée

Stars:

Vanessa Paradis, Kevin Parent, Hélène Florent

9 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vanessa Paradis	...	Jacqueline
Kevin Parent	...	Antoine Godin
Hélène Florent	...	Carole
Evelyne Brochu	...	Rose
Marin Gerrier	...	Laurent
Alice Dubois	...	Véronique
Evelyne de la Chenelière	...	Amélie
Michel Dumont	...	Julien Godin
Linda E. Smith	...	Louise Godin (as Linda Smith)
Joanny Corbeil-Picher	...	Juliette
Rosalie Fortier	...	Angéline
Michel Laperrière	...	Le psychologue
Caroline Bal	...	La mère de Véronique
Nicolas Marié	...	Le père de Véronique
Pascal Elso	...	Paul

Storyline

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. In 1960s Paris, a working class woman gives birth to her first child, Laurent - a Down Syndrome son. Undaunted she embraces the challenge of raising her beloved offspring as normally as one would any other child. Her husband abandons them both. She bravely brushes this additional hiccup aside as Laurent replaces her spouse as the perfect man of her dreams. As Laurent approaches school age Jacqueline's aplomb becomes obsessive and cloying. Her increasingly self-destructive attachment to her son is raised to a fever pitch when, at the age of seven, he meets a Down ...

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Plot Keywords:

breasts | oral sex | sex in shower | cunnilingus | breast feeding | 

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Taglines:

Healing a broken heart isn't easy. Sometimes it takes a lifetime...or two.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director and writer Jean-Marc Vallée originally wanted Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" as part of the film's soundtrack, however while Jimmy Page eventually agreed to its use, Robert Plant nixed the idea.

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Quotes

La médium: The meeting of twin flames is when the soul finds its other half on the path homeward, to the source.The cycle of reincarnation ends. It's the final relationship that leads to unity.

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Soundtracks

Speak To Me
Written by Nick Mason, Roger Waters
The Richmond Organization for Hampshire House Publishing - Pink Floyd Music Publishing
Performed by Pink Floyd
Authorised by EMI Music Canada

User Reviews

Strange parallels beautifully filmed

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. Throughout the film I expected these two disparate stories to somehow meet in some tangible form, but this part of the film remains a bit of a mystery... perhaps staying in some kind of spiritual realm. That aspect of the film is somewhat confusing, and may be a bit off-putting to many viewers. I thought it a bit strange, but overall I think this is a great film. 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. Nice work.

Details

Country:

Canada France

Language:

French English

Release Date:

18 November 2011 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Ruh Eşim

Filming Locations:

Canada

Box Office

Budget:

CAD10,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,227,259

Company Credits

Production Co:

Item 7, Monkey Pack Films, Backup Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1