Kôhî Jikô (2003)
Genre: Drama
Duration: 108 minuten
Alternative titles: Café Lumière / 珈琲時光
Country:
Japan / Taiwan
Directed by: Hsiao-Hsien Hou
Stars: Yo Hitoto, Tadanobu Asano and Masato Hagiwara
IMDb score:
6,8 (3.499)
Releasedate: 1 September 2004
This movie is not available on US streaming services.
Kôhî Jikô plot
Japanese film that follows the first months of pregnancy of Yoko, a freelance author. Yoko has decided not to marry the father of her unborn child. Although her parents and family are terribly worried, she looks to her future calmly... She finds comfort in Hajime, the owner of a second-hand bookshop.
Actors and actresses
Yoko Inoue
Hajime Takeuchi
Seiji
Yoko's Stepmother
Yoko's Father
Reviews & comments
mjk87 (moderator films)
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- 14514 messages
- 4510 votes
Somewhere halfway through there is a moment that sums up the entire film. Yoko is sitting in a cafe with a friend again, orders something to drink, gets the drinks from the bar and wants to put them on their table. Then she finds out that she left her drink with her boyfriend, and vice versa. Small smile, cups in the right place and sitting down again. A small moment, taken from life, naturally acted and oh so recognizable. What Linklater tried very hard for almost three hours, Hou immediately succeeds in this moment, and many dozens of moments besides: capturing normal life. And it turned out to be a beautiful film.
As mentioned above, not much happens. But all that says even more. We get an ordinary girl, with an ordinary job (albeit not very well paid, but that's not an issue) who experiences ordinary things. There is an emphasis on food, drinking hot milk in bars and traveling by metro or train (it was the shot with trains from the contest of Badalamenti that immediately made me want to film) but nowhere does the film zoom in emphatically on anything. The pregnancy is also accepted, but no drama or issue is made of it at all. It's just there. And it's just very nice to see it that way. An atmospheric sketch as I like to see them.
The film moves along quietly with the right pace, occasionally beautiful pictures but always with a well-placed camera, beautiful locations that make you long for Japan and especially Tokyo (I think?) (I'm a fan of big cities anyway) and just many wonderful moments together make this film. Each and every one of them is recognizable, especially for young adults, which I myself belong to. It's been a long time since I was really touched by a special film. This deserves a maximum of 4.5*.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Onderhond
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- 87592 messages
- 12835 votes
Stay well.
Maybe I was a little bit afraid of it. The last rewatch I was only half awake (which isn't really a problem with this film) and lately I've become less fond of slow slice of life films. But maybe I just saw the wrong one, because this Hou managed to win me over again.
What makes it so brilliant remains a bit difficult to pinpoint. It looks nice, it exudes a pleasant tranquility, the characters are nice... but nothing that really makes me very enthusiastic. Yet the total is more than the sum of all the individual parts and afterwards you always realize that you have seen something special.
Visually, the soundtrack is good (but especially the ambient sounds are an added value) and the acting is strong. Little drama, lots of beautiful little moments. It may have started out as an Ozu ode, but as far as I'm concerned this is just a vintage Hou.
4.0* and a extensive review
Translated from Dutch · View original
Fisico
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- 10039 messages
- 5398 votes
Nice little modest Japanese film where not much happens, but just the small and usual things in life are recorded. I also like to absorb the Japanese culture and environment. Wonderful that abundant attention is paid to the train network in the city. The absolute final scene is a perfect example of this, where three trains cross each other over three floors.
The daughter comes home and tells her that she is pregnant by her Taiwanese boyfriend. The idea of settling down or connecting is not an immediate option. She sees no problem with it. Neither does the filmmaker. No sizzling arguments or long drawn out discussions. The mother is worried and the father silently endures it, but it does not dominate the film.
Subtle and serene. So the film moves along quietly. Beautiful shots do the rest. A lot may be too boring for some, but I found it soothing. Fine!
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