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Yo Hitoto,
Tadanobu Asano,
Masato Hagiwara,
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Hou Hsiao-hsien
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: Not Rated
: Fox Lorber
: Foreign
: 104 min.
: Japanese
: English
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A freelance writer living in Tokyo defies social taboo by choosing life as a single mother in director Hou Hsiao-Hsien's meditative tribute to acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu. When Yoko announces that she is pregnant and has no intentions of marrying the father of her child, her traditional family is outraged. Though the headstrong decision made by the young mother-to-be leaves her finding little sympathy from within her family circle, a blossoming friendship with the owner of a local second-hand bookstore goes a long way in alleviating Yoko's feelings of loneliness. As Yoko begins to re-evaluate her increasingly complicated life, her newfound friend silently pines for her despite his frustrating inability to vocalize his true feelings. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
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| Train-ing
by talltale
March 7, 2006 - 4:01 PM PST
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5 out of 6 members found this review helpful
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Indolent and deliberately so, CAFÉ LUMIERE may take some getting used to. There is almost no exposition, so you are left to learn about the lead character in halting stops and starts, many of which take place on and around trains. Even then, you've learned damn little. Trains are key here, and by the end you may be, as I was, transfixed with the constant motion and repetitive sound. Plot is as close to nonexistent as possible: you discover one piece of news about the lead character, then see how her parents react to it. That's it. But throughout, life in a present-day Asian city is lived out, and you follow along, somewhat hypnotized.
This is the first film by critics' darling Hsiao-hsien Hou ("Goodbye, South, Goodbye," "Flowers of Shanghai," Millennium Mambo") that I can honestly say I've enjoyed. It's certainly not mainstream, but if you like watching life parade in front of you (or are taken with trains), go for it. The ending is so beautiful--a quiet dazzle of weaving motion set against a river--that I had to watch it over and over again. The framing here is perfection, and the accompanying/concluding music nearly so. |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 7.18)
33 Votes
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