After the conventional period drama The Young Victoria, Jean-Marc Vallée returns to the more complex, decade-hopping M. O. of his breakthrough, C. R. A. Z. Y.. Using different versions of the title song as a through-line, Vallée flits between two stories, juxtaposing a mother (Vanessa Paradis) coping with a mentally challenged son in ’60s Paris with a DJ (Kevin Parent) finding new love while his ex-wife (Hélène Florent) struggles to come to terms with the break-up. Both stories are engaging as are the filmmaking styles — shallow focus for the contemporary, a softer, gauzier feel for the ’60s. Yet despite a plethora of strong scenes, how the two strands come together requires a leap of imagination many will find too far to make.
Cafe De Flore Review
In present day Montreal successful DJ Antoine (Parent) is torn between his new girlfriend and the ex-wife for whom he still harbours feelings. Back 40 years and across the world in Paris are a young single mum (Paradis) and her Down syndrome son. But what links them?
Release Date:
11 May 2012
Running Time:
120 minutes
Certificate:
15
Original Title:
Cafe De Flore
Young Victoria director Vallée tackles something altogether more complex with equal flair, even if his two storylines never quite gel.
Just so you know, whilst we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this website, we never allow this to influence product selections - read why you should trust us