Friday 25 April 2008

Films In Daejeon: Cafe Lumiere [JP/TW]

A cup of coffee is enough to transform your mood - at least it works for Yoko (Yo Hitoto) in Hou Hsiao Hsien's Cafe Lumiere. Yoko finds her peace in enjoying coffee with her friend Hajime (Asano Tadanobu). With a cup of coffee in her hands, she can retreat from her own problems and stay calm, even for just a while, so that she will have the courage to move on to another stage in her life. Yoko is a freelance writer researching on the Taiwan-born Japanese singer Jiang Ewn-ye. She met Hajime, the owner of a second-hand bookstore, while doing research at his shop. Since then the two have spent a good deal of quality time together in coffee shops. One day Yoko discovers that she is pregnant and she announces to her parents, whom she has not seen for a while, that she has decided to become an unwed mother. Her parents are worried, but Hajime feels even worse for he cannot express his love for Yoko. Meanwhile, Yoko's research on Jiang Ewn-ye has inspired her to reexamine her relationships with her family, Hajime, the baby, and many others. This film is a tribute to Japanese master Ozu Yasujiro to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his birthday.

Director: Hou Hsiao-Hsien
Release Year:
2004
Country:
Japan /Taiwan Run Time: 104 minutes Genre: Drama
Main Cast:
Yo Hitoto, Tadanobu Asano, Masato Hagiwara, Kimiko Yo, Nenji Kobayashi
Trailer:
Cafe Lumiere

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