Cafe de Flore

Synopsis: A love story about people separated by time and place but connected in profound and mysterious ways. Atmospheric, fantastical, tragic and hopeful, the film chronicles the parallel fates of Jacqueline, a young mother with a disabled son in 1960s Paris, and Antoine, a recently divorced, successful DJ in present day Montreal. What binds the two stories together is love - euphoric, obsessive, tragic, youthful, timeless love. In 1960s Paris, a working class woman gives birth to her first child, Laurent - a Down Syndrome son. Undaunted she embraces the challenge of raising her beloved offspring as normally as one would any other child. Her husband abandons them both. She bravely brushes this additional hiccup aside as Laurent replaces her spouse as the perfect man of her dreams. As Laurent approaches school age Jacqueline's aplomb becomes obsessive and cloying. Her increasingly self-destructive attachment to her son is raised to a fever pitch when, at the age of seven, he meets a Down Syndro
Genre: Drama, Romance
Director(s): Jean-Marc Vallée
Production: Adopt Films
  9 wins & 19 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.4
Metacritic:
53
Rotten Tomatoes:
62%
NOT RATED
Year:
2011
120 min
Website
697 Views


This is the story of a man

with every reason to be happy

and the lucidity to realize it.

About to turn 40,

Antoine Godin has never felt better

about himself.

In perfect health.

Lemonade!

No financial worries.

Damn squirrels!

Parents still alive.

Father of two magnificent girls.

Madly in love.

Antoine radiates happiness from every pore.

The Meaning of Dreams

Our Past Lives

Come on, let's go.

Shh, be quiet!

To heaven?

No!

To heaven?

Come on!

The big fish.

And the knees.

5, 6, 7,

8, 9, 10...

Times 4?

40!

And here's a boy who doesn't have

every reason to be happy,

or the lucidity to realize it.

Now turn to the left.

Fortunately,

he has Jacqueline.

Goodbye, tiger. Mom has to work.

Bye, Mom. I love you.

I love you.

What?

Not on your life.

We're not missionaries!

Why are we whispering? He can't understand.

He's a baby, and to boot, a...

Say it.

There are people trained

to look after those kids.

Those kids have parents too.

His son is born handicapped.

Instead of helping him,

he wants to send him away.

You disgust me.

I didn't think you were

that kind of a man.

I'm his mother, I'm keeping him.

If you don't like it,

you know what to do.

Average life expectancy: 25...

Go to hell!

That day,

at that precise moment,

Jacqueline gave her life meaning.

Her baby, Laurent,

would live to a ripe old age.

Daddy, look!

She bought a hamster!

He's smelly but smart.

I like to cut the sound.

It gives more punch to what's coming.

Know what I noticed

sorting out my old photos

when I moved out?

Every other photo, I swear,

there's the Royal Guard.

The gin dude.

I saw him last week in London.

He asked after my dad.

That song puts you in a good space.

You understand f*** all,

but it soothes the soul.

And on every other photo...

she's there.

Listen only with headphones

Not many girls get off

on music like guys do,

know the titles of songs,

the names of bands,

and trip on the jackets,

old rock, jazz, you name it!

That day, at that precise moment

Antoine and Carole wished

to love each other forever.

I love him!

To heaven...

I'll go to her one day...

Stay here.

To heaven...

Breastfed four years...

To supercharge his immune system.

Three years of vitamin supplements: A...

B, C, D, E...

To stimulate the motor organs.

I told you.

Take your scalpels.

You'll make him crazy

with all those classes.

Haven't you noticed?

He learns by imitation, idiot!

So now we'll try the sound "sh".

Push out your lips.

Teeth almost touching,

tongue against your palate...

The shadow of Sean's sheep...

Sean has a sheep?

Sean's his friend.

Not that sheep, my love.

I mean, not that Sean.

Another Sean. Sorry.

Her little angel,

Jacqueline believed,

would disprove life expectancy stats

for Down syndrome.

Enough, scram!

Monique, replace Jacqueline.

Mommy!

It's Mom's darling little tiger!

How often do I have to tell you

to go easy on your clothes?

Hi, Sean. I'm Laurent's mom.

Yes, Madame.

See how nice I am?

What a nice smile I have?

If you hurt my son again,

I won't be smiling,

and I won't be nice.

Bye, Sean. Have a nice day.

Come on.

You're not serious?

Well?

Have I told you how much I love you?

I don't want to box, Mom.

You have to learn to defend yourself.

Besides, I know you'll be great.

You're good at everything.

Everything you touch turns to gold.

Don't worry, you'll never have to fight.

Mom will teach you to use words,

not fists.

Dickwad!

Quit busting my balls!

I'll rip out your eyes, scumbag!

I'll rip out your eyes...

scumbag!

And kick your teeth out your ass!

I'm proud of you, tiger.

Don't smile. Let's go home.

Don't smile. You did great.

To heaven...

What are you doing? It's pouring!

To heaven!

Put it back, you thief.

I'll teach you!

I want one.

No, go sit down.

What did he say?

Tobby walks through the field

and follows the goat.

Valerie walks through the field

and follows...

and follows Daddy.

Who is it?

Your dad.

Let Mom sleep.

Mom, Caf.

Caf, Mom!

Don't bug me this morning.

You do it.

Mom showed you how to.

No, come!

Come, Mommy, my teddy bear of love.

You must be a dream.

Or a real heartbreaker.

Either way, women can't resist you.

You win.

You're not going to

get away with that!

What did I tell you?

Never wake up the monster

who leaves its lair

to eat little children!

You'll be sorry!

- Caf?

- Yes.

Here it is. Come on.

As if you didn't know.

Turn it on. Push the arm.

It's the first song.

33 RPM? Yes. Volume? Yes.

Caf? Here you are, sir.

Morning, noon, and night,

seven days a week,

365 days a year,

Jacqueline clings to her dream.

This hymn had become its symbol.

The symbol of a mythical love,

she thought.

Greater than mankind,

stronger than life.

Mom?

Oops!

Sorry!

Have a good week, baby.

Have a good week, Dad.

Bye, beautiful.

Bye, Carole!

Still sleepwalking?

Bye, have a good week!

You too.

Hey, handsome!

How are you?

You're looking good.

I try.

It's working.

Still the jetsetter?

Can't complain.

Playing in Montreal soon?

Yeah, I have a gig

at the Picnic in two weeks.

If you feel like it.

The two of you.

See you soon.

A**hole!

B*tch!

He's lost weight, no?

Is he having a relapse?

Did his bimbo dump him?

Only a matter of time.

You're starting in early.

Just watch, won't be long.

And when he's alone, rock bottom,

I hope you'll wise up

and do what any clear-thinking woman

would've done long ago in your shoes:

Sue his ass.

The bastard.

I don't think it's normal.

Two years later,

I feel like bawling

whenever I hear songs she liked.

Our oldest girl, little brat,

she does it on purpose,

rubbing salt in the wound,

playing songs that remind me of her mom.

At first kids always dream of seeing

their parents reunited.

Not just at first.

On the other hand,

are there songs in your life

that make you want to crank it up?

To live?

To make love?

Please, send me the titles!

- Can I hold her?

- Sure you can.

Two years earlier

Who is that?

You mean the song or the girl?

If only it'd been a masterpiece.

No,

a pleasant little tune,

almost banal,

but that makes you want to stop,

look around,

seize the moment.

That makes you see life

the way it should always be.

Beautiful.

You know?

Complete strangers

all smiled at me

like they understood my joy

at seeing life the way I see it,

thanks to music.

They smiled because you smiled.

Prick my bubble.

I wasn't smiling.

I mean, I was smiling,

thinking about what I was feeling,

experiencing,

what music brings to my life.

Dad?

Nadine invited me over. Can I go?

Did you ask Mom?

She said to ask you.

Go for it, kiddo!

Did you try to see her?

No.

Separating wasn't an option for us.

What's that?

I'm changing songs.

We've endured it for months.

Electro, chill out, lounge...

How many versions do you have?

Can't a guy like a song?

Yes, but not bug people with it.

Still, I prefer it to...

Three nutcases!

Lock 'em in the loony bin.

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Jean-Marc Vallée

Jean-Marc Vallée, (born March 9, 1963) is a Canadian film director, producer, and film editor. After studying film at the Université de Montréal, Vallée went on to make a number of acclaimed short films, including Stéréotypes (1991), Les Fleurs magiques (1995), and Les Mots magiques (1998). His debut feature, Black List (1995), was nominated for nine Genie Awards, including nods for Vallée's direction and editing. His fourth feature film, C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005), received further critical acclaim and was a financial success. Vallée's followup, The Young Victoria (2009), garnered strong reviews and received three Academy Award nominations, while his sixth film, Café de Flore (2011), was the most nominated film at the 32nd Genie Awards. Vallée's next film, Dallas Buyers Club, was released in 2013 to critical acclaim and earned him an Academy Award nomination in the category of Best Film Editing. He next directed Wild (2014). Vallée's next film, Demolition (2015), starred Jake Gyllenhaal and Naomi Watts, and opened the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2015. In 2017, he directed and executive-produced the acclaimed HBO miniseries Big Little Lies, winning a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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    "Cafe de Flore" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 22 Dec. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/cafe_de_flore_4927>.

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