Beach Café is based on the novel by Paul Bowles. It relates the tale of young Driss who finds a café at the remote end of a beautiful and deserted beach owned by a strange character named Fouad. In spite of Fouad’s obvious lack of interest, Driss resolves to win his friendship by offering him small gifts and services. . . .
A young man named Driss makes a life for himself taking odd jobs and sleeping in an old car. One day he finds a café at the remote end of a beautiful and deserted beach owned by one Fouad, a middle-aged hermit with a weakness for women. In spite of Fouad’s indifference, Driss is drawn by his mystery and his stories, and the young man decides to pursue their acquaintance by offering Fouad small gifts and services. Even though his friends warn him, Driss is soon pulled into the game Fouad has prepared for him. The café owner ridicules the young man’s masculinity, and at the same time turns him against his friends, including his girlfriend. Beach Café is novelist Paul Bowles’ attempt to create a vision of Morocco as a fascinating and complete mix of contrasts, half-truths and ever-present gossip.
85 min / Black & white, 35 mm
Director Benoit Graffin
/ Screenplay André Téchiné, Benoit Graffin podle novely/based on the novel by Paul Bowles
/ Dir. of Photography Yorick Lesaux
/ Music Philippe Miller
/ Editor Camille Cotte
/ Producer Cyriac Auriol, Pauline Duhault
/ Production Elia Films, Les Films du Requin, Cinetelema
/ Cast Jacques Nolot, Ouassini Embarek, Leila Belarbi, Delia Amrani
Benoit Graffin (b. 1966) has up to now made mostly shorts. His feature debut was the English-language Le New Yorker (1996). Beach Café (Le café de la plage) is his second feature.
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