How are both stories connected? - Café de Flore (2011) Discussion

[–] billhk 13 years ago

The connection is not exactly spelled out; intead it's left to the viewer to work it out.
The way I see it the three main characters from several decades ago in Paris, the mother, her downs syndrome child soul-mate, and the downs syndrome girl are either reincarnated, or at least psychically connected to the modern-day DJ Antoine in Montreal, his ex-wife and soul-mate, and his new partner.
Aside from the scene where the Psychic makes the connection, the main tell is the photograph of Antoine and Carole as teenagers with a framed photograph of the Paris cathedral and the mother/child on the wall behind them.
It's reminds me of the closing scene in 'The Shining'.
For this reason, this is one movie where it is essential to stay for at least part of the credits roll.

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[–] howard.schumann 13 years ago

Thanks. It is certainly food for thought.

"I wanna be just like the wind, flowing in the air through an open space" Lily Chou Chou

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[–] globalist 13 years ago

Now where's the "whatsafterthecredits" guy when you need him? :D

1/10

- don't worry that's just my signature.

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[–] billhk 13 years ago

I ran into him (or her - somehow I feel it's probably a him) on another thread a couple of weeks ago. I will message them about this movie!

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[–] Torian06 13 years ago

I like this movie, very much so.
Fine performances by all the actors, and the mystery surrounding the lives of the characters.

For myself, I got hints what's going on between the two stories from the dreams of Carole, Antoine's first wife, and when the last one of her dreams showed us when the car Jacqueline was driving collided with another one, killing her and her son Laurent, as she was trying to bring her son as far away from Veronique. After that Carole goes to Antoine's house and ask for his forgiveness, Carole had had the revelation she was Jacqueline in another life, and Antoine was her son during that time, and Rose, Antoine's partner in their present life, was Veronique back then.

I've read some about past lives before, but can't say whether I believe in it or not, just keeping an open mind, but it is interesting to me and this movie, not being linear, had me intrigue why the lives of a mother and son in the 60's was alternately shown with that of a successfull, healthy disk jockey of a man needing to talk with his psychiatrist about his feelings about his new partner and yet can't seem to disregard his first one, remembering how she was always there when he was still in his teens sharing their love of music. The scene too when he was leaving at the airport, his back turned to the camera and there are all those young people walking forward but all with faces clearly showing they are afflicted with Down's Syndrome, doubly intrigued me, kept me glued to my seat, eager for an answer.

Truth inexorably,inscrutably seeks and reveals Itself into the Light.

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[–] howard.schumann 13 years ago

Thanks very much. I think your take on this is very much on target. The film is challenging but full of love.

By the way, I love your signature, Where is it from?

"Nostalgia is like a grammar lesson: you find the present tense but the past perfect"

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[–] Torian06 13 years ago

Thanks for the kind words about my sig.

It's my synthesis of a topic written by a local columnist in my favorite newspaper, sometime in 1986, about the truth concerning claims by our then dictator-president Marcos about his heroism and his medals during the WWII fighting the occupying Japanese forces here in my country (Philippines) which turned out to be lies and his medals fake ones.

Truth inexorably,inscrutably seeks and reveals Itself into the Light.

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[–] howard.schumann 13 years ago

I think it's very beautiful and very pertinent for those, like myself, who seem to be always fighting an uphill fight against entrenched orthodoxy (on a few key issues). I have added it to my list of favorite quotes.

Unless you don't want me to, I hope I will have your permission to use it in any of my film reviews or on any responses to reviews, articles, or blogs. Of course, I will always attribute it to you.

I'm curious as to why Itself and Light are capitalized. My first thought was that you were referring to God as the embodiment of truth and light.

"Nostalgia is like a grammar lesson: you find the present tense but the past perfect"

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[–] Torian06 13 years ago

Thank You. That's a great compliment, considering that I'm not in anyway a cinephile, not at all an authority about films, and about anything, for that matter; but if it's going to serve any meaningful purpose of yours, then permission granted. The ideas aren't really my own anyway, just a one-line encapsulation of an essay in the newspaper, can't remember exactly now if the columnist's name was Renato de Quiros of the Inquirer, or some other columnist's.

As for the capitalized Itself and Light, just that I think they were that important so the emphasis.
Not really religious here, especially since my synthesis resulted from a political essay, but God embodying truth and light is quite a sublime idea.

I seem to remember your username in some other board, so I took a look at your profile and yes, it's in the Classic Films Board. I visit it from time to time, just reading, especially the fixed thread about classic films watched (in a week) by zetes. Posts only occasionally since I have seen so very few classic films, (the last one in a thread about The Leopard, which I love, and admired poster easypz's take on it, but regretfully the thread about that film got deleted)and also because I get overwhelmed by the expressiveness of the reviews, felt so inadequate in my English, which is only a second language to me. It was from reading the comments in that board that I got interested to see some others, like Marilyn Monroe's Some Like it Hot and her The Prince and the Showgirl, which I'm glad I did see because it made me curious to watch My Week With Marilyn (with Michelle Williams, Kenneth Branagh).

Your list of your top 180 films is so eclectic, and tells me you are a film buff.
Those I've seen from your list may not even come close to a tenth.
With your rich, varied background watching films, I'm baffled now why you came here asking for an explanation about the connection of the two stories in this movie, Cafe le flore.
You surely have come across something similar, in some way, to this story in some other films ?

Truth inexorably,inscrutably seeks and reveals Itself into the Light.

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[–] howard.schumann 13 years ago

Sorry, I just noticed your comment today. Thanks very much for all your comments on my list of films and on your experience on the Classics Film board. Regardless of what you think, your English is excellent and you would be most welcome to post your thoughts on the board, especially in the weekly thread, "What films did you see the week of...?

Just because I've seen a lot of films doesn't mean that there aren't any points in some films that I have questions about, especially those like Cafe de flore which are designed to keep you up at night trying to figure out all the possibilities.

“When everybody thinks alike, no one thinks very much” - Quaker proverb

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[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] howard.schumann 13 years ago

Thanks for your interpretation. I have seen others, but yours is just as valid.

“When everybody thinks alike, no one thinks very much” - Quaker proverb

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[–] filmfancy 13 years ago

'Augurae,' I agree with most of what you wrote. I'm not so sure about Antoine dying in a plane crash, though. I don't remember seeing the plane blow up, just a shot of it high up in the clouds looking like it was flying into the sun--and that could just be an image of the plane when Antoine was flying to London.

But, everything is going to be fine, because Antoine's older daughter is the reincarnation of Carole. She's brune, she get's "jealous" and is unhappy about her dad's new girlfriend...But at the end of the movie, she is okay and happy at the wedding when Caroline is, and already we can see her playing disc next to a little blond kid about her age...

I don't think the older daughter is a reincarnation--that would mean Carole has to die. And I thought the young blonde girl next to her at the wedding was her younger sister.

It is a somewhat confusing film, but I still found it beautiful in its expression of different kinds of love, especially that of 'twin souls.'

"And all the pieces matter"

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[–] Imortala 12 years ago

Actually the plane does blow up in the final very short shot, right after the first credits. It's the same image of the plane going towards the sun, but this time we hear the same sound like before the car crash and we see the plane exploding, then screen goes black in a fraction of second, then final credits roll.
Loved the movie, absolutely loved it.

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[–] xdeadxsilentxtwilightx 12 years ago

Aside from the ending scene, there were also other scenes that were cues for Antoine's plane crash. Once, near the beginning when Laurent was in school tracing the direction of the plane in the sky towards the sun, on the glass windowed door. And another time, during Carole's dream near the beginning of the climax scene. There was a thunderstorm while Carole was driving and then it zoomed in on Laurent(Antoine) and Vero's(Rose)horrified faces in the back seat of her car because at the time Jacqueline was tying Laurent to the bed, and then right after that car scene it showed a shadow of a plane being struck by lightning.

“Because we separate, like ripples on a blank shore”

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[–] hopelessromantic89 12 years ago

I totally didn't catch on to the whole Antoine dying in a plane crash thing....what would be the meaning/relevance of that? From what I got from the film, the medium said that once twin flames find each other and are united for the rest of their lives they can sort of be at peace...but if they are taken from each other, then the reincarnation will keep happening over and over until they can finally be together. So when Carole realized that she was Jacqueline in her previous life, and that it was because of her that the two kids with Down syndrome (who later on end up being Antoine and Rose) couldn't be together, she went and begged Antoine for forgiveness and finally let him go, allowing him to be with his real soulmate, Rose. If he dies at the end, it feels like Carole's realization/actions at the end have less meaning because Antoine and Rose still won't end up being together in the end. God, what a depressing thought.

What do you guys think?

Check out my movie blog!
http://www.laurenreviewsmovies.blogspot.com/

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