Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

This film switches back and forth between two stories. One is 1960's Paris. Jacqueline is a hard-working protective single mother to Laurent who has Down syndrome. Laurent develops a relationship with fellow Down syndrome classmate Véro. The two kids become inseparable no matter how infuriating it is for Jacqueline. In the other story, it is modern day Montreal. Antoine is recently divorced from Carole with two girls. He is a successful concert DJ and he falls for beautiful Rose. There is a surprising connection between the two stories.The 60's story is compelling. I love the kids. The mother son relationship is exceptional. The modern day story is not as compelling. The trial and personal tribulation of Antoine don't hold any interest for me. The back and forth between the stories disrupts the flow. The final reveal is profound, confusing, infuriating, ambitious, and in the end not all together successful. I may like this one better if it played out chronologically.

I loved this film. You spend a long time wondering what the connection is between the two separate love stories and only find out very close to the end. I found it worth the wait. It completely changed my view of the relationship between Antoine and the younger woman he has left His beloved wife for. You have to watch the whole film and the credits to really get it, but once you do it becomes a much more satisfying and haunting film and i think i'll enjoy it even more second time around. I only saw it yesterday but i'll be watching it again very soon. The music is integral to the story and works perfectly. The performances are excellent from everyone, especially the children. Watch this film, it really is worth two hours of anyone's time.

Intercutting two story lines which at first seem totally unrelated, Café de Flore is an odyssey of love that is told through two intertwined timelines. The first is set in modern day Montreal where a club DJ finds himself torn between his girlfriend & his ex-wife. The other segment is set in 1960s Paris and follows a woman & his son who suffers from Down syndrome.Written, directed & edited by Jean-Marc Vallée (best known for Dallas Buyers Club), Café de Flore isn't an easy film to decipher for the plot unfolds in a very complex manner, employs numerous flashbacks, flash-forwards & cross-cutting moments throughout its runtime while the fragmented narration, thematic elements & symbolisms only make it less accessible.From a technical standpoint, there isn't much wrong with this movie. Cinematography uses its camera amazingly well in addition to its effective use of colour tones & lighting. Editing is a troubled aspect though for it breaks the story into different segments, rearranging them to give a multi-layered structure which may not work out for everyone while the cast chips in with fair performances.However, my favourite aspect of the film is its expert use of music for the chosen songs are seamlessly infused into the plot & make the sitting through a worthwhile affair. On an overall scale, Café de Flore isn't a film for everyone, can be easily dismissed as pretentious cinema, and is a multi-layered experience that's ultimately marred by its convoluted premise, glacial pace & metaphysical complexities. A rich, rewarding & spiritual film for some, a highly self-indulgent flick for others.

IF you have the patience, then this is a potentially rewarding film for art house film buffs. The acting, photography and especially the use of musical emotional cues are all excellent. However it must be stated that the frequent jump cuts and fake (yes fake! its all in Carols head!) flashbacks will make this a very hard film to follow in the first viewing.The movie tries to balance a fine line between spirituality and something I would call normal life, without that kind of artificial psychological helper mechanisms, but it does end up being somewhat confused in that regard. Clearly the writer has met some pretty disturbed personalities in his life. Personally I am a cold fish, so this movie is an interesting look into the life of people who are clearly guided by pure emotion, but it is pretty obvious to me at least that most of the characters here would be better served with a little less reliance on feelings :-) - but that is just me...One thing that honestly annoyed me is the Canadian french spoken in the Montreal part of the movie - I'm not a native french speaker, but I do have 3 years of high school french, and it was a lot easier to understand the French in the Paris parts, and it was obvious to me that most of the Canadian sections would have been better served with the characters speaking English instead. So be warned and watch it with subtitles.