Soulmates? Here in Miami, a city not exactly known for its monogamous ways, we have our doubts. The idea that two people can be made for each other -- complementing each others' souls, completing each others' beings and so on -- sounds to most South Floridians like some sugary, naïve, romantic bullshit. In this town, people are more likely to "mate" with a different "soul" every weekend than to subscribe to such a dubious concept.
But writer/director Jean-Marc Vallée's Café de Flore, opening Friday at Coral Gables Art Cinema, might just restore faith in love and destiny for even the most cynical Miamian -- at least for a couple hours. And it accomplishes that feat with an ambiance so sexy, so haunting, and so achingly beautiful that even viewers who aren't convinced of real-life soulmates will want to linger in the film's fictional world where they do exist.
Sat., Nov. 3, 2012