CAFÉ DE FLORE A film by Jean-Marc Vallée - Adopt Films

Vanessa Paradis
Kevin Parent
Hélène Florent
Evelyne Brochu
in
CAFÉ DE FLORE
A film by Jean-Marc Vallée
Running Time: 120 minutes
Language: In French with English Subtitles
Publicity Contact:
New York City
Hook Publicity
Jessica Uzzan
Jessica@hookpublicity.com
Luke Carron
assistant@hookpublicity.com
Los Angeles
Marina Bailey Film Publicity
Marina Bailey
Marina@marinabailey.com
Sara Tehrani
pr@marinabailey.com

Synopsis
“Café de Flore” is a love story about people separated by time and place but
connected in profound and mysterious ways. Atmospheric, fantastical, tragic
and hopeful, the film chronicles the parallel fates of Jacqueline, a young
mother with a disabled son in 1960s Paris, and Antoine, a recently divorced,
successful DJ in present day Montreal. What binds the two stories together is
love - euphoric, obsessive, tragic, youthful, timeless love.
In 1960s Paris, a working class woman gives birth to her first child, Laurent –
a Down Syndrome son. Undaunted she embraces the challenge of raising her
beloved offspring as normally as one would any other child. Her husband
abandons them both. She bravely brushes this additional hiccup aside as
Laurent replaces her spouse as the perfect man of her dreams. As Laurent
approaches school age Jacqueline’s aplomb becomes obsessive and cloying.
Her increasingly self-destructive attachment to her son is raised to a fever
pitch when, at the age of seven, he meets a Down Syndrome girl (Véronique)
and experiences his first crush. His sudden desire for independence, and his
attraction to Véra, are the catalysts that transform Jacqueline from a loving
mother into something resembling a lover scorned. What emerges is a love
triangle of potentially tragic proportions.
In 21 st century Montreal, a forty year old divorcee, Carole, is trying to restart
her life after her divorce, two years earlier, from Antoine, a devastatingly
handsome, successful touring DJ. Soul mates who’ve been a couple since the
age of fifteen, their divorce is a schism that might prove impossible for either
of them to put in the past. Making the transition even more difficult for
Carole is the fact that her two daughters, one teen, one tween, are about to
gain a stepmother, a stunningly beautiful, heartbreaking blonde, a woman
about to “steal” away the perfect man of her dreams. The young girls are
being cruelly pulled in two different directions, Antoine’s father, a recovering
alcoholic, seems to side with his ex-daughter-in-law, and Carole is
succumbing to fits of depression and potentially dangerous bouts of
sleepwalking. What emerges is a love triangle of potentially tragic
proportions.

Biographies
Jean-Marc Vallée ⎜⎜ Writer / Director
Montreal filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallée made his groundbreaking feature debut
with “Liste Noire” (Black List), in 1995. The strikingly stylish erotic thriller
was a first for its genre in Quebec cinema, and was honored with nine Genie
Award nominations. Ten years later, he returned to French-language features
with the internationally acclaimed hit, “C.R.A.Z.Y. ” Blending a beguiling
coming-of-age tale with a magical ode to outsiders of all ages, the powerful
yet poignant C.R.A.Z.Y.’s intensely personal story embraces universal themes.
The picture became a phenomenon; distributed in over fifty countries and
winning some twenty international festival awards – including the prestigious
“Best Canadian Film” prize at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival,
11 Genie Awards, 15 Jutra Awards, and the Golden Reel Award as Canada’s
top-performer at the domestic box office.
Jean-Marc has also flirted with Hollywood, as well as completing the first two
installments of his short film trilogy devoted to father-son relationships; a
theme very close to the filmmaker’s heart. “Les Fleurs magiques” (Magical
Flowers, 1995) and “Les Mots magiques” (Magical Words, 1998) are
individual pieces unified by a dream-like quality, and an eye for their
subjects that is both tender and tortured. Both shorts were awarded numerous
festival prizes at home, and abroad.
His last film “The Young Victoria,” produced by Graham King and Martin
Scorsese, won an Oscar for Best Costumes in 2010 and received nominations
for Best Art Direction and Best Makeup.
Vanessa Paradis ⎜⎜ Jacqueline
Vanessa Paradis’ career began when she was discovered on a popular TV
show, “L'Ecole Des Fans,” which provided children with the opportunity to
demonstrate their talents.
Years later, at thirteen, she recorded her first single, “La Magie Des Surprises-
Parties.” Her career skyrocketed when her record-producing uncle, Didier
Pain, was working with a musician on a song entitled “Joe le Taxi” in which
Vanessa was invited to sing. The outcome was instant success.

In 1988, her first album, M & J, was released and later Variations Sur Le Mme
T'aime (1990). Her third album, the eponymously titled Vanessa Paradis, was
produced by Lenny Kravitz in 1992.
Her first role for the big screen was in Jean-Claude Brisseau’s “Noce
Blanche” (1989). For her exquisite performance in the movie, Vanessa took
home a César (the French equivalent of an Oscar). At this point, Vanessa
realized that she preferred acting over singing. She later went on to star in
René Manzor’s “Un Amour de Sorcière” (1997).
In 2000, she released the album Bliss and after seven years of silence, she
released Divinidylle in September of 2007. In 2010, she released and toured
for her new album Versailles.
She has also become a fashion icon by working on exclusive ad campaigns
for Chanel.
Meanwhile, she has continued her career as a film actress, notably starring in
“Girl on the Bridge” by Patrice LeConte (1999) “The Return of James Battle”
by Didier and Thierry Poiraud (2004). In 2010, her role in Pascal Chaumeil’s
“Heartbreaker,” which garnered over 3.7 million admissions, brought her to
the forefront of French cinema.
Kevin Parent ⎜⎜ Antoine
In 1995, Kevin Parent made his debut in the music industry with the album
Pigeon d’argile. In 1998, the album, Grand parleur, petit faiseur, confirmed
his talent and originality.
The two albums are among the biggest sellers in recording history in Québec
and earned him many Félix (Québec awards in music industry), including
Male Performer of the Year, Song of the Year, and Songwriter of the Year.
Music videos gave Kevin Parent the opportunity to work with noted Canadian
directors such as Denis Villeneuve and Francis Leclerc. Leclerc’s
productions, “Seigneur” and “Fréquenter l'oublie,” have also been crowned
Best Music Videos of the Year by l’ADISQ (Québec association for music
industry).

In 2003, he joined the rock band The Porn Flakes. This collaboration has
revealed Kevin Parent’s boldness and versatility.
In Spring 2007, Parent released his first album in English entitled, “Fangless
Wolf Facing Winter.” He came back in 2009 with a new self-titled album in
French.
In 2011, he made his first steps in cinema with a leading role in “Café de
Flore,” by Jean-Marc Vallée (C.R.A.Z.Y), a feature film also starring Vanessa
Paradis, Évelyne Brochu, and Hélène Florent.
Hélène Florent ⎜⎜ Carole
A graduate of the Conservatoire d’art dramatique du Québec (2000), Hélène
Florent is both an actress and a director. She directed the short films
“Madame Bonheur à la rescousse” (2000), “Jazz Square” (2001), and “Celui
qui l’dit, celui qui l’est” (1998), which won the Audience Award, and the
Screenwriting Award at the Montreal Vidéaste Recherché-e Festival.
As an actress, she works in theater, film and television. Her television work
has earned her many Gemeau Prizes (Quebec’s Emmys).
Recent television series include: “Deux frères, la suite” (2000), “Tribu.com”
(2003), “La Promesse” (2005), “Un homme mort” (2005), and “Lance et
compte” (2006-2010). She is also known for her leading roles in “Toute la
vérité” (2010), and “La Galère” (2007-2012).
In theater, Helene Florent has performed on the national Cherbourg scene Le
Trident (Mesure pour mesure, Le Chien, Le Colonel et les oiseaux, Le Malade
imaginaire, Aux portes du royaume, and Le Cid).
With “Yellowknife” (2001) by Rodrigue Jean, she played her first leading role
in a feature film. Then, she landed several roles including feature films
“Mémoires affectives” (2004) by Francis Leclerc, “La Vie avec mon père”
(2005) by Sébastien Rose, “Familia” (2005) by Louise Archambault, “Dans les
villes” (2006) by Catherine Martin, “Ma fille mon ange” (2007) by Pierre
Szalowski, “Lance et compte : Le film” (2010), and her last movie, “Café de
Flore” (2011) by Jean-Marc Vallée.

Évelyne Brochu ⎜⎜ Rose
Évelyne Brochu, a graduate of the Montreal Conservatory of Dramatic Arts,
has already made her presence known on stage having recently appeared in
the Claude Poissant directed stage play, Tom à La Ferme.
No stranger to film and television, Évelyne starred in such notable Quebec
television series including “Aveux, Mirador” and the popular series “La
Promesse,” which garnered her three Gémeaux award nominations in the
categories of Best Supporting Actress and Best Lead Actress in a television
series.
Recent film credit include a supporting role in the critically acclaimed film
“Polytechnique” (2009), directed by Denis Villeneuve (“Incendies”) as well
as “Café de Flore,” directed by Jean-Marc Vallée (C.R.A.Z.Y.) which
premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2011.

CREW
Director: Jean-Marc Vallée
Writer: Jean-Marc Vallée
Producers (Canada): Pierre Even, Marie-Claude Poulin
Co-producer: Jean-Marc Vallée
Co-producers (France): Nicolas Coppermann, Jean-Yves Robin
In collaboration with: Vanessa Fourgeaud
Line Producers: Nicole Hilaréguy, Marc Stanimirovic
Cinematographer: Pierre Cottereau
Art Direction: Patrice Vermette
Editing: Jean-Marc Vallée
Sound: Jean Minondo, Martin Pinsonnault
Special Effects: Marc Coté, Sylvain Théroux
Costumes: Ginette Magny, Emmanuelle Youchnovski
Makeup: Christiane Fattori, Frédéric Marin
Hair Stylist: Ghyslaine Sant, Frédéric Birault
Stills photographer: Sébastien Raymond
Casting: Emanuelle Beaugrand-Champagne, Nathalie Boutrie, Constance
Demontoy
Music Clearance: Lucie Bourgouin Permission Inc.

CAST
Jacqueline: Vanessa Paradis
Antoine: Godin Kevin Parent
Carole: Hélène Florent
Rose: Evelyne Brochu
Laurent: Marin Gerrier
Véronique: Alice Dubois
Amélie: Evelyne de la Chenelière
Julien Godin: Michel Dumont
Louise Godin: Linda Smith
Juliette: Joanny Corbeil-Picher
Angéline: Rosalie Fortier
Psychologist: Michel Laperrière
Véronique's mother: Caroline Bal
Véronique's father: Nicolas Marié
Paul: Pascal Elso
Louis: Jérôme Kircher
Mrs. Labelle: Claire Vernet
School teacher: Manon Balthazard
Antoine (14 years old): Émile Vallée
Carole (14 years old): Chanel Fontaine
Medium: Emanuelle Beaugrand-Champagne

SOUNDTRACK
CAFÉ DE FLORE
(Matthew HERBERT)
Bucks Music Group
Interpreted by Matthew HERBERT
With the authorization of Accidental Records
CAFÉ DE FLORE
(Matthew HERBERT)
Bucks Music Group
Interpreted by Doctor ROCKIT
With the authorization of Accidental Records
ALL ALRIGHT
(Jon THOR BIRGISSON, Orri PALL Dyrason, Georg HOLM, Kjartan SVEINSSON)
Universal Music Publishing
Interpreted by SIGUR ROS
With the authorization of Beggars Group
SVEFN-G-ENGLAR
(Jon THOR BIRGISSON, August AEVAR GUNARSSON, Georg HOLM, Kjartan SVEINSSON)
Universal Music Publishing
Interpreted by SIGUR ROS
With the authorization of Pias
FLJOTAVIK
(Jon THOR BIRGISSON, August AEVAR GUNARSSON, Georg HOLM, Kjartan SVEINSSON)
Universal Music Publishing
Interpreted by SIGUR ROS
With the authorization of Beggars Group
ANDVARI
(Jon THOR BIRGISSON, Orri PALL DYRASON, Georg HOLM, Kjartan SVEINSSON)
Universal Music Publishing
Interpreted by SIGUR ROS
With the authorization of Universal Music Group et EMI Music Canada
SPEAK TO ME
(Nick MASON, Roger WATERS)
The Richmond Organization pour Hampshire House Publishing - Pink Floyd Music Publishing
Interpreted by PINK FLOYD
With the authorization of EMI Music Canada

BREATHE
(David GILMOUR, Roger WATERS, Richard WRIGHT)
The Richmond Organization pour Hampshire House Publishing - Pink Floyd Music Publishing -
Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Interpreted by PINK FLOYD
With the authorization of EMI Music Canada
TIME
(David GILMOUR, Roger WATERS, Richard WRIGHT, Nick MASON)
The Richmond Organization pour Hampshire House Publishing - Pink Floyd Music
Publishing - Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Interpreted by PINK FLOYD
With the authorization of EMI Music Canada
FAITH
(Laurence TOLHURST, Simon GALLUP, Robert James SMITH)
Universal Music Publishing
Interpreted by The CURE
With the authorization of Universal Music Group
PICTURES OF YOU
(William BRANSBY, Simon GALLUP, Robert SMITH,
Paul THOMPSON, Laurence TOLHURST, Roger
O’DONNELL) Universal Music Publishing
Interpreted by The CURE
With the authorization of Elektra/Wea & Universal Music Group
JUST LIKE HEAVEN
(William BRANSBY, Simon GALLUP, Robert SMITH,
Paul THOMPSON, Laurence TOLHURST, Roger O’DONNELL)
With the authorization of FLORENT et Kevin PARENT
Universal Music Publishing
A MEANINGFUL MOMENT THROUGH A MEANING (LESS) PROCESS
(Adam WITZIE)
Kranky Limited
Interpreted by STARS OF THE LID With
the authorization of de Kranky Limited
WALK ON THE WATER
(Tom FOGERTY, John FOGERTY)
Jondora Music, a division of Fantasy
Inc.
Interpreted by CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL (CCR)
With the authorization of Concord Music Group

SO IN LOVE
(Cole PORTER)
Warner Chappell Music Inc.
Interpreted by Dinah Washington
With the authorization of Universal Music Group
BIG FREEZE
(Serge PELLETIER, Mathieu PONTBRIAND, Christian BAANG, Joseph PERRAULT, Sara BELLE
HUMBLE)
Éditorial Avenue
Interpreted by PAWA UP FIRST
With the authorization of Dare to Care Records
NAVVAATARA
(Élisapie ISAAC)
Avalanche Sound Publishing
Interpreted by Élisapie ISAAC
With the authorization of Maple Music Recordings
COMME UN SOLEIL
(Pierre DELANOË, Michel FUGUAIN, George BLANESS)
Big Baazar Music Publishing Co. pour Éditions Musicales Le Minautore
CORONA RADIATA
(Michael Trent REZNOR)
Form and Texture Inc.
Interpreted by NINE INCH NAILS
With the authorization of The Null Corporation
LE VENT NOUS PORTERA
(Bertrand CANTAT, Denis BARTHE)
Universal Music Publishing
Interpreted by Sophie HUNGER
With the authorization of Two Gentlemen Records
GOD’S TILT
Composed and interpreted for the film by Luc RAYMOND and Benoît VEILLEUX
CAFÉ DE FLORE, a cappella, was interpreted by Vanessa PARADIS and Evelyne BROCHU
and LES PETITS CHANTEURS DU MONT-ROYAL under the direction of Gilbert PATENAUDE.
choral arrangement Serge ARCUR