At Cafe 6 was the first Chinese film that I watched in 2017. The film came out last year but I won't watch it for fear that I would be let down. Chinese films can be a hit or miss depending on what part of China the film is produced in and the storyline. A film that grossed 6.5 million in Chinese money must have something good about it. Right? No, I didn't watch this film because of its earning but I did take that into account when deciding to watch the trailer. The trailer didn't hook me at the time either. I wasn't in the mood for a high school comedy...... You'll be led by the At Cafe 6's trailer into thinking that your going to watch another light hearted comedy about teenagers in school. Nothing prepares you for the real life lessons you're about to learn as you watch At Cafe 6.
The cast consists of Zijian Dong(Mountains May Depart), Cherry Ngan, Lin Bo-hong, and Nini Ouyang as a couple of students with very different personalities that happen to bond during their high school years. Zijian and Cherry's characters are more quiet and reserved. Left to only be brought out of their shells by Lin Bo-hong and Nini Ouyang's characters wacky presences. During your time in high school you don't think much about the future until teachers tell you to think about the future. this means choosing the right college that fits into helping you succeed at getting a good job and later starting a family. The male characters are slackers. they don't do anything expect have fun and then more fun on top of fun. As you might know, China doesn't take lightly to students who don't want to study until their heads explode so these characters go against what is expected of today's Chinese youth. Its important to study but don't let studying suck out the fun of being young. I feel a mini revolution through their acting every time these boys got bad grades or got in trouble and had to be punished. Like they were saying in so many words, "This is my way of life. I don't want to do things like everyone else."The girls did better in school, especially Cherry Ngan's character but that didn't stop them from being pulled to the bad side of things with these boys. I enjoyed watching their relationship with each other grow stronger. A relationship was never forgotten for years to come.
I thought At Cafe 6 was going to be a slowly developed film. For example just a simple film with a little comedy there and a romance over here. However, this film dodged that bullet and ran in the other direction. The plot tells the story of a group of friends who meet in school and try to maintain their friendship and romances after they go off to college. You are given their story as a memory from a man who runs a cafe thats telling the story to a young women who stops by one night. Who this man could be is unknown but he tells this films plot like he was apart of the whole ordeal. Time naturally causes you and friends that you love dearly to grow apart. It can't be helped even if you keep in touch with that friend from time to time. Sometimes what you feel is enough to keep a relationship solid is not really enough and time will start to reveal the cracks in your relationship as life progresses. The second party also has to put in the effort to keep the relationship going as well. Growing apart will happen but if your true friends, you can meet each other halfway and bond again. The real problem here through is things like span of time and distance reveals all the problems you might have in your relationships while not knowing these problems were there. Well, you knew they were there but you decided to ignore them. Never let conflicts that you have with your friends or lover go undressed because that problem with just become a crack that grows bigger and bigger as time passes. Real friends can work through issues and come to a common ground. Thats the underline faith you two should have in each other. At Cafe 6 has a plot that relies heavily of this concept. Watching this film can be fun but it can also be painful, especially to people who can relate to the characters. The plot developed different layers based on emotion so distinctly that nothing felt lacking for me. I took the film as a slice of real life that teaches a grave lesson to all who watch.
The walls of their school was what was shown for the first half of the film. I wasn't expecting much in terms of scenery but the setting helped At Cafe 6 feel more alive. Everything from the school grounds, the classroom, to the backyard allies of their neighborhood. As the character grow older, you see more of China as a city thats always on the move. The shift to college life put me in mind of other Chinese films I've seen that give off a documentary type of feel.(not this film but other films that talk about Chinese college life.) Those dorm rooms were too small for all them boys to be hanging out in.
I started tearing up a little while typing this out. Something about this film left a deep impression on me. I've become a fan of Zijian Dong, since seeing him in Mountains Do Depart and now seeing him in At Cafe 6. I love when he speaks english too! haha Ok, I'm done now guys..... This was a good film. Go check it out!
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