Caf Lumire review

Who cares about an almost non-existent plot when a film is this serenely beautiful? Made by Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien as a homage to the great Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu, the luminously shot Café Lumière meanders through everyday life in contemporary Tokyo, following pregnant writer (pop star Yo Hitoto) and her shy bookselling friend (Zatoichi's Tadanobu Asano). Echoes here of the original Tokyo Story, alongside a graceful, unhurried evocation of life in the contemporary metropolis.