Café Unfiltered

As with his quietly incisive The 6:41 to Paris, French novelist Blondell here does a lot with a little, daisy-chaining the stories of staff and patrons at a small café in the French provinces on a single day. Steady, loyal owner Fabrice explains how he inherited the café from Jocelyn, who later comes for a visit and draws out Chloe, a regular who sketches through the day while considering how to take control of her life. Intemperate waiter José, exasperated with Chloe’s constant presence though she barely orders anything, recalls his indebtedness to Fabrice while contemplating his next move. Vainglorious Guillaume meets with his quietly assured mother, who puts him in his place and reveals some shocking moves of her own. Now a famous writer, Thibault grudgingly returns home to visit Pierre, still fuming over the pain caused by their relationship, but Pierre offers a different perspective on things. Though briefly sketched, each character comes fully and beautifully alive, and together their stories create a strong sense of people sorting through their lives and making changes. That the narrative takes place just as society is opening up post-pandemic serves to amplify that sense of possibility.