Café Lumière

2004 1h 43m JA

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 65

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Yo Hitoto
Yoko Inoue
Tadanobu Asano
Hajime Takeuchi
Masato Hagiwara
Seiji
Kimiko Yo
Yoko's Stepmother
Nenji Kobayashi
Yoko's Father
Yôko Hoshi
Keiichi Asada
Yukio Endô

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Hou Hsiao-hsien
Writers: Hou Hsiao-hsien, Chu Tien-Wen
Languages: English, Japanese
Countries: Japan, Taiwan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 22 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Japanese.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Japan, Taiwan.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien, shot by Mark Lee Ping-Bing. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Liao Ching-sung shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Yo Hitoto and Tadanobu Asano and Masato Hagiwara carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0412596 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 65 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Hou Hsiao-hsien directs. Mark Lee Ping-Bing behind the camera. Liao Ching-sung cuts. Produced in Japan, Taiwan. Dialogue in English, Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 22 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Japanese.
3International production across 2 countries: Japan, Taiwan.
4Directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien, shot by Mark Lee Ping-Bing. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Liao Ching-sung shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Yo Hitoto and Tadanobu Asano and Masato Hagiwara carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0412596 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 65 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.