Hou's sensitivity plus Ozu's inspiration equals sublimity of sight and sound.
100
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Hou's best film since "The Puppetmaster" (1993). It's also his most minimalist effort to date, slow to reveal its depths and beauties, and it marks a rejuvenation of his art.
88
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
It's a film objet d'art to contemplate and treasure.
80
The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
This poetic portrait of simple Japanese life immerses you in the elegance of the ordinary.
Café Lumière stands in relation to "Tokyo Story" as a faint, diminished echo. It is nonetheless a fascinating curiosity, a chance to witness one major filmmaker paying tribute to another in the form of a rigorously minor film.
The film is an original work by a filmmaker who throughout his career has absorbed the best of what Ozu had to teach, and as such it stands as beautiful tribute from one master to another.