The Sad Cafe

The Sad Cafe packs the thrill and suspense we have come to know and love from Bennie Woodell, with a newer, more thought-provoking underside.

The film explores the intertwined lives of a screw-up dry-voiced bitter but modest hired killer, and a depressed waitress, both reeling from the butterflies in their stomaches reeling from one another's presence. Both are aimless and lost in their own ways, joyless except when near each other. But this isn't just a romance. Don't go into this film expecting the calm affectionate growth we see in romances. The Sad Cafe is a roller coaster of a ride, weaving us through the convoluted jobs our hired killer must perform in his line of duty, as body after body drops to the ground and our killer always returns to smile nervously at the girl in the café. Unlike the modern action film however, the Sad Cafe nods at the golden age of action films, when it was okay to spare a moment away from the gore and explore the deeper meanings behind their lives. Sex, love, violence, betrayal.... this film has it all.

The cinematography is possibly the best I've seen in any Woodell film. It is truly a sight to admire. Lighting and shadow have been mastered in this film, and it only further evokes the emotion that lies at the core of the film. Our characters drift between being pinned down, trapped by the frame, and feeling free, wide, with an expanse beyond them. The total effect is a mood that stays memorable with you for days to come.