Café de Flore (2011)

Director Jean-Marc Vallée

In present-day Montreal, successful DJ Antoine (Kevin Parent) is involved in a passionate relationship with Rose (Evelyn Brochu) for whom he has left his wife Carole (Hélène Florent). Backtrack to 1969 Paris, where cash-strapped single mother Jacqueline (Vanessa Paradis) is doing her utmost to raise her 7 year-old Down Syndrome son solo, following her husband’s inability to confront the realities of having a disabled child.

Across the decades, discarded wife and mother Carole is experiencing visions of Jacqueline’s life and feels a connection to the stranger in her dreams. Wrought by their shared pain, their experiences of love and loss become intertwined.

A bittersweet tale heightened by a compelling soundtrack featuring Pink Floyd, The Cure and Sigur Rós, Café De Flore affords a unique look at the pain inflicted by matters of the heart in all its poignancy. - Alliance Française French Film Festival 2011