Movie: Coffee Bloom
Cast: Arjun Mathur, Sugandha Garg, Mohan Kapur
Director: Manu Warrier
Rating: **
What's it about:
If you are a coffee lover, be warned that there isn't much to brew in his half baked, slow, somewhat pretentious drama about identity crises and soul searching. Arjun Mathur plays Dev Anand (nothing to do with the legendary actor) who has to revisit some bitter memories (his ex-girlfriend and her present husband) to figure a way out to carry forward. The backdrop is the beautiful coffee plantation in Coorg that serves a remarkable canvas. The film is dialogue heavy with a lot of jarring cuts and constant back and forth play in the storyline, tiring the viewer much before the reel has to wrap up.
What's hot:
Mathur has this interesting appeal about himself which he uses to his full advantage. There is an air of unpredictability about his character, and there are many times when you would want to shake him and ask him to stop going on this path of self destruction. For anyone who has gone through a break up and let that affect him in some way, Coffee Bloom might ring a familiar bell in your mind. Yogesh Jaani's cinematography is rich and he sets up some remarkably vivid scenes.
What's not:
Coffee Bloom doesn't stay true to its name. It never manages to give you an adrenaline rush like the coffee, nor does it bloom into a full fledged drama. Instead it gives you a series of scenes, events, monologues and interactions between the key characters that don't have the cohesiveness they require. Also you need a lot of patience to get through this film. Warrier doesn't rush his characters through any situation. He lets them linger, some times long enough to get you distracted.
What to do:
What could have been an interesting tale of love, remorse and emotional turmoil, ends up being a wishy washy drama between some sketchy characters.
