Café Lumière is director Hou Hsiao-hsien’s tribute to the Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu. The film is a quiet and contemplative little masterpiece about young urban loneliness. We follow Yoku, a young woman, to the metropolis of Tokyo and an everyday life as fragmented as her quest for meaning in her own existence. By her side is a friend who is wordlessly in love with her, parents with no understanding and a series of images whose beauty defies description. The shifting between light and darkness, the characters fragile relationship with each other and the fascination for everyday detail are all elements that make Café Lumière into an exceptional film experience.