Café Lumière is director Hou Hsiao-hsien’s tribute to the Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu. The film is a quiet and contemplative little masterpiece about young urban loneliness. We follow Yoku, a young woman, to the metropolis of Tokyo and an everyday life as fragmented as her quest for meaning in her own existence. By her side is a friend who is wordlessly in love with her, parents with no understanding and a series of images whose beauty defies description. The shifting between light and darkness, the characters fragile relationship with each other and the fascination for everyday detail are all elements that make Café Lumière into an exceptional film experience.

Original title Kôhî jikô

Year 2003

Director HOU Hsiao-hsien

Screenplay HOU Hsiao-hsien, CHU T'ien-wen

Cinematography Mark LEE Ping-bing

Producer LIAO Ching-Song, MIYAJIMA Hideji, OSAKA Fumiko, YAMAMOTO Ichirô

Cast HITOTO Yo, ASANO Tadanobu, HAGIWARA Masato, YO Kimiko, KOBAYASHI Nenji

Production Company Shochiku Company, Asahi Shimbunsha, Sumitomo Corporation, Eisei Gekijo, Imagica Corp.

Runtime 1h 48m

Format ??? Print/Format ???

Links IMDb