A cafe that allows its customers to travel back in time is an enticing prospect and the conceit at the centre of this human drama based on the best-selling book by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. Kazu (Kasumi Arimura) works at the Funiculi Funicula cafe in Tokyo with her uncle, Nagare (Motoki Fukami). The cafe’s secret is that customers who sit in a specific chair and have a coffee made by Kazu are able to travel back in time. However, there are rules to observe: the customer cannot leave the cafe; they can only meet people who have visited the shop themselves; whatever happens in the past cannot change the present; and, most importantly, they must return before their coffee gets cold. The seat is usually occupied by Kazu’s mother, a ghost who broke the final rule and became trapped there. Throughout the story we see various individuals use the seat: Fumiko (Haru) who missed her chance to share her feelings with the man she loves; Fusaki (Yutaka Matsushige), whose wife Kotake (Hiroko Yakushimaru) has dementia; and Hirai (Yo Yoshida), who wants to see her sister again before she died.
“Before the Cofee Gets Cold”, directed by Ayuko Tsukahara, is a slick adaptation of Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s novel, largely sticking to the stories contatined in the first book in the series. The film diverges from the book by having some scenes take place outside the cafe, which helps the world feel more expansive, but detracts from the novelty of the book in its spatially restricted setting. The film is well-shot and the creative depiction of people travelling back in time, sinking through a flooded room, is something that could only be captured on film. Masaru Yokoyama’s score of soft piano and ethereal elements perfectly complements the emotional story. The script by screenwriter Satoko Okudera does a great job balancing comedy and tragedy; with several heartbreaking moments, and the large cast are believable in their distinctive roles. The ending is unecessarily heavy-handed, with characters explaining what it is they learnt from their experience, rather than letting the film speak for itself; but fans of the book will no doubt enjoy seeing it brought to the screen.
As with the book, the time-travel element is secondary to the human drama that it facilitates. The film repeatedly tells us that you cannot change the past, but the future is still unwritten. It is a powerful message and allows us to put things in perspective, to not dwell on things that cannot be altered, but instead focus on what is to come. We see characters dealing with past regrets, mourning lost loved ones or missed opportunities. Unlike many movies with time-travel, the film really delves into the psychology of memory and what the past means to us as well as how it shapes our future. While melodramatic at times, the film provides us with several thought-provoking scenarios to consider the next time we are enjoying a hot coffee.
