Café

I occasionally find these movies that most people won't have heard of and will have no interest to see, yet shine as gems in their own right. The criteria I use for determining when these small, indie films make my list is that they take a risk and show a level of creativity that mainstream films have abandoned. Recently I have found an interesting class of these films that I call the indie film with the unexpected sci-fi twist. Café is one of these.

I didn't read the reviews or know the tagline to be forewarned what this movie is about. I have to say, not only was I intrigued, but extremely pleasantly surprised. I am not going to rehash the details of the plot but suffice it to say, if you are a movie lover sitting at home looking for a pleasant way to stretch your imagination and spawn a post viewing discussion, this one is for you.

Recently I found two others I considered similar in this class of film. "Safety not Guaranteed" and "The Sound of My Voice" were two other films that fell into this personal class of interesting film. Take the plunge and try these original films!

This is an Indie flick that I watched entirely because of its name. I sit and write in cafes, and so I figured it would appeal to me. I expected it to be quirky, and it was. What I didn't expect was for it to be quite as quirky as it is. The tagline for the film is "What if the world you lived in weren't real?" and that's basically what the film is about. The cafe's regulars go about their everyday lives and their petty dramas, every day, as do we all, but one day on the laptop of one of the regulars there appears the face of a young girl telling him that he doesn't really exist. He's just an avatar, living in a virtual world that she has created, just for the fun of creating it. Naturally, he doesn't quite believe this, but then events start happening in the cafe that cause him *to* believe it.

As such, this is a little movie that might appeal to those who tend to believe the same thing about reality, and their own lives. If you believe that someone or something else is writing the script of your life, and that you are little more than a bit player in someone or something else's drama (or comedy), this movie's for you. It's not great, and not nearly in the same league of quirky cafe-based stories as "Amelie," but it's entertaining, in a lightweight, fluffy sort of way.

If you wind up seeing it, come back and say in the comments section what you think the guy who sits in the corner every day writing in his notebook was really writing. I think it was the script for this film.

If your willing to slow down the pace and go with this movie, your in for a sweet, thought provoking movie. If your an action movie goer, you may have a hard time staying engaged. Not a fault of the movie of course. The movie is based on the idea that everything in our so called reality is really an illusion. The thought provoking idea of what is real? Who created us and who pulls the strings? I once owned a café' called philosophers stone café' in which the same thought engaging ideas were tossed around with a cup of Joe everyday. Customers always said to me my café scene would make a great movie. Cafe' is close to that. Enjoy.

so i decided to toss my thoughts toward this odd movie.

first i think the director is playing tricks with the viewer. by this i mean the viewer must decide for himself who or which character is real and which character is not real.

the fellow sitting at the corner table with the notebook and writing constantly in it is the key to this puzzle of people. we are seeing his imagined players or characters along with the real. he's creating a story for us but we must choose the characters to believe in.

therefore it occurred to me this is a shared visualization of the notebook writing man's solipsism. some of his characters are very real - the café employees for example. the imagined ones are the fat guy with laptop and his 'little girl guide'. i believe the troubled black guy isn't real - neither are the police. it's your choice through the entire film! i have more but i've explained myself as clearly as i can. then remember the café owner is never seen - that is what triggered my interpretation.

i do so wish the director had not included that sappy ending. i was very into the action and mystery of exactly what was happening then it's as if the director just wanted to 'wrap it up' and go home. too bad!

I watch tons of films of all sorts and time after time I am left feeling like 'I've seen this before'. That being the case, I had no idea what to expect from Cafe. To my surprise, this little indie flick turned out to be unlike anything I've ever seen. On the one hand, it is a slice of life--seeing the whole world in a Cafe setting with great entangled characters--strangers, friends and family. On the other hand, we are plunged into story about the game of life, questions about the ultimate nature of reality, free will and self-sacrifice. This film is both fun to watch and thought provoking to say the least. It demands audience participation and as the days go by since I saw it, I find it staying with me--which is more than i can say for 90+% of films out there. This is a film that will age well and I think a lot people will find it a refreshing and rewarding experience.