I'm not sure if i can give an unbiased review of "Beach Cafe" as it stars my favorite actor, the amazing and beautiful Ouassini Embarek, and if this consisted of watching him read the phone book for two hours i would love it. Still, this is a wonderful film on it's own. Deep, moody, and elegant work about the complicated friendship between a young taxi driver and an old man who lives on the beach with his rebellious sons, running a café and hotel for tourists. Filmed in Morrocco, in and around the city of Tangiers, "Beach Cafe" features dazzling cinematography and beautiful actors, male and female. The film is slow and languid, and possesses a quiet, hypnotic quality, as it draws the viewer into the life of this young rebellious guy, who lives in his car, and makes his living hustling tourists for anything he can get. The tense and mysterious bond that Driss develops with the man, Fouad, is at the heart of the film, and it is fascinating. it is never clear what the two see in each other, as the old man speaks ill of the young man, and seems to resent his charming ways with tourists, mainly the women. Is he jealous, or does Driss remind him of a young version of himself? And is Driss looking for a father figure, or acceptance, or does he simply want a friendship with the café owner? In the end, the questions are answered, but the viewer must think, and wonder. while this story unfolds, we are treated to scene after elegantly filmed scene of great beauty, tinged with a vague feeling of sadness, like a late summer day; a day that is beautiful, but it is sad because it soon will come to an end. Make sense? Featuring a nice look into Morroccan culture as well, and Ouassini Embarek has such a unique and memorable quality to him, that the film seems magical at times. A true work of cinematic art, recommended.
