Café Lumière
Seen it?2004 | 103 min | Drama
Sunday Safe Betearly ratingWhy it’s a Sunday Safe Bet
Critics loved it (91% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had almost no lasting buzz. A safe bet when you want something reliable.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for anyone who loves a strong drama.
- The mood
- Thoughtful and character-driven.
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 43 min.
- What might put you off
- It's in Japanese, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
In a distinctly contemporary Tokyo that looks backwards to the city’s disappearing past, Yoko is a writer investigating the life of a modernist composer of the 1930s. She is pregnant by a man she does not want to marry and has found a kindred spirit in a used bookstore owner who aids her research.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsVery strong
91% on Rotten Tomatoes, 80 on Metacritic
- AudiencesNot counted
Not measured yet: not enough ratings
- AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
- Reach & staying powerSolid
Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactWeak
About 8K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien
- Yo HitotoYoko Inoue
- Tadanobu AsanoHajime Takeuchi
- Masato HagiwaraSeiji
- Kimiko YoYoko's Stepmother
- Nenji KobayashiYoko's Father
- Yôko Hoshi
- Keiichi Asada
- Yukio Endô
- Mikiko Kakizawa
- Hiroko Kumada