Café de Flore

Sumptuously photographed but hampered by occasionally confusing and apparently entwined plots, the viewer is challenged to grasp the connection in this Canadian/French production.

In present day Montreal, thirty-something Club DJ Antoine Godin (Kevin Parent) bids his wife (and mother of his two children) adieu to get cosy and start a new live with a younger woman whom he believes to be his soulmate. Trouble is that his ex-wife believes Antoine to be her soulmate and is, understandably, angry and distressed over the fact she’s been dumped. As are her children and Antoine’s family.

In 1960’s Paris, a decidedly drab looking Vanessa Paradis plays Jaqueline, a lower working class woman whose husband dumps her when she decides to raise her little son Laurent (Marin Gerrier) instead of having him institutionalized (he suffers from Down’s Syndrome). She devotes her time tirelessly to the attention and education of Laurent but is heading towards breakdown when Laurent meets a girl in school – also suffering from Down’s Syndrome – and falls ‘in love’ with her. When Laurent announces his wish to move in with the little girl’s parents so he can be with ‘his’ little soulmate, his overprotective and possessive mother can’t bear the thought of losing the son for whom she sacrificed so much.

These seemingly unconnected stories are somehow connected and director Jean-Marc Vallée (The Young Victoria) uses all sorts of fancy and metaphysical flashback sequences to bring his point across and have us guessing. The obvious connection is that DJ Antoine, as well as little Laurent, are both hooked on a retro track called ‘Café de Flore’ (hence the movie’s title) and their emotions are in turmoil.
That’s it in a nutshell. There is some solid acting in this movie, particularly from Vanessa Paradis and from Marin Gerrier as her son. Café de Flore would probably work better as a singular story, namely that of Jaqueline and Laurent set in 60’s Paris. Ultimately though, that’s for the viewer to decide.