Review of Coffee and Cigarettes (1987) by Shen S — 13 Dec 2007

â??Coffee and Cigarettesâ?? is one of those avant-garde films, which you which you either love, hate or have mixed feelings and thoughts about. What am I saying? Didn't I just described all possible reactions to any kind of film. If so, there must be no such thing as an intrinsically avant-garde (or non-avant-garde) film. And if there can be different reactions to the same film, it also means there is nothing that makes our love and hate intrisically so.

The movie features a series of unconnected conversations of famous personalities while consuming the titular â??intoxicantsâ?? - coffee and cigarettes. Okay, the measure of the â??famousâ?? is relative, and thus non-existent intrisically too. Well, after all, there are some actors and actresses featured whom I have never heard of previously. (Okay, â??intoxicantsâ?? is relative too - as some smokers and coffee-drinkers are intoxicated by caffeine and nicotine, or addicted to them, while some are not.).

It struck me that when we watch a movie, or hear a casual conversation, or in this case, watch a movie of casual conversations, we are looking (and listening) for entertainment and/or â??enlightenmentâ?? of some sort. The more worldly audience are probably more hungry for pure entertainment, while the more spiritual ones are more thirsty for enlightenment. What is entertainment and enlightenment - other than wit and wisdom?

I think most movie-goers are the inbetween - they seek some entertainment and some enlightenment - whether they are conscious of it or not. â??Coffee and Cigarettesâ?? is entertaining and enlightening in unconventional ways. Entertaining as you don't know what to expect. Enlightening as you will always learn about human-nature - yours and that portrayed. But this is also true when you watch anyone on or off screen - especially yourself!