Transatlantic Coffee (2012)

Two unlikely friends, a teenage stripper from London and a traumatized clown, try to help each other in an uncertain world.

Director:

Erik Peter Carlson

Writer:

Erik Peter Carlson

Stars:

Kevin Pinassi, Rae Olivier, Marcel Torres

7 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Kevin Pinassi	...	Alex
Rae Olivier	...	Mandie (as Rachel Marie Lewis)
Marcel Torres	...	Ronnie
Stephanie Domini	...	Alexa (as Stephanie Domini Ehlert)
Alix Paige	...	Jazz Singer
Amy Morse	...	Therapist
Toya Nash	...	Stephanie
Rich Graff	...	Angry Customer
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Leasen Beth Almquist	...	Mother
AnnMarie Arcuri	...	Party Kid
Alexander Bach	...	Nightclub MC
Saswata Bandy	...	Store Owner
Paul Berini	...	Father
Jon Burland	...	Sleazy Guy in Nightclub
Grace Campos	...	Party Kid (as Grace Anne)

Storyline

Inspired by a true story, 'Transatlantic Coffee' is a tale of boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl ...only the boy is a 41 year old clown, the girl, a teenage stripper from London. Alex is battling bleak circumstances within his version of a hostile world. However, his outlook evolves with the emergence of the young, sharp and adventurous, Mandie. The oddball duo embrace each other for who they are, until Alex's secret trauma bubbles to the surface, leaving for a climax that should not be missed.

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Plot Keywords:

stripper | coffee | transatlantic | british accent | british | 

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Taglines:

He Lost his Color. A Teenage Stripper from London Found it.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The woman who is seen on stage singing in the jazz club scenes is actress/singer Alix Paige, the actual vocalist of the covers "Angel Eyes", which are present in the film.

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Quotes

Alex: I got to piss like a racehorse.

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Soundtracks

Shine on Harvest Moon
Written by Nora Bayes and Jack Norworth
Performed by Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel (as Laurel & Hardy)

User Reviews

Erik Peter Carlon's "Transatlantic Coffee" is nothing shy of original

It's a breath of fresh air to see a different approach from a young filmmaker. Carlson has made a movie that you'd not expect from a first time writer and director. It's put together with slow scenes, long takes and very few cut aways. It explores themes and ideas that I could easily see being cut away on the editing room floor if it was handled by a studio. Because of it's love budget roots, I can only believe that Carlson called the shots. There's no other way that many of these scenes would have ever made it otherwise. Studios are not this brave.

Rachel Marie Lewis plays a young gal who comes to New York from London on a blind date to meet our main character, Alex, who is played by Kevin Pinassi. Both actors do a stellar job in creating the right atmosphere. The challenge for these actors clearly must've been Carlson's directing style. Scenes sometimes last for minutes on end without any cuts, creating an almost stage play feel. In fact, I could easily see this being adapted to an off Broadway play.

One of my favorite things about this picture is the original score. Again, it is completely unexpected like everything else in the film. It's truly dreamy and assists the overall feel of the picture in conjunction with the photography, the performances and the writing.

The film runs 104 minutes which seem to go by pretty quickly, with only a few times I feel it could've been a little faster paced, however, I think if this was the case, we would loose the character study that Carlson was trying to produce, and succeeded at accomplishing.

The film reminded me very much of a European film, with it's massive amount of talking heads and simple, yet very effective direction. I also believe this was accompanied by the art direction and costume design, which made me feel I was watching something that was either a period piece or a French film from the 70's that slipped through my fingers.

I really hope the film goes wide so others can experience this film. I believe that whether you like it or not, you'll walk away with something to talk about. It really sticks with you for days. I can't wait to see what these guys come up with next. A must see!

Details

Official Sites:

Official Blog Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 January 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Café Transatlantique

Filming Locations:

Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Riding Hood Motion Pictures

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1