Saturday-Sunday: The Girl in the Cafe

Yes, it's another made-for-television film, but I've actually been edging towards seeing this film for a while now. Another similarity it has with My Boy Jack is that they both have close ties to Harry Potter. David Yates directed The Girl in the Cafe before taking on his first outing in the J.K. Rowling franchise. The film follows Lawrence, a lonely civil servant who meets Gina, a girl in a cafe. They spark a friendship, and then later a relationship, which spurs Lawrence to invite Gina to the G8 summit he has to attend in Reykyavik, Iceland. While things are quite nice and sweet at first, Gina becomes a little too outspoken about her beliefs on the first against poverty, which leads Lawrence to reevaluate his entire stance on things.

What starts out as a real intimate affair actually turns into a quite moving political drama. It's very much about the will to actually do something, which is a very decision despite everything. Gina makes the point that what must be done to turn things around isn't impossible. It's simply difficult and requires great effort on behalf of the highest officials, and that doesn't sit well with them. David Yates takes quite a subtle hand with this material, playing some scenes at a distance similar to what Lawrence tries to keep between him and certain matters. Lawrence wants to make a difference, but he's afraid to do it. Change is never easy, good or bad.

The acting is more than solid on most parts. Bill Nighy, who has united with David Yates on several projects including his upcoming release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, plays the lonely and timid Lawrence quite well. He's a rather complex character who wants nothing more than nice company in contrast to his work companions. Kelly Macdonald, who won an Emmy for her role here, has such a sweet presence to her. Gina's not necessarily an activist, but she has a checkered past, and she finds an opportunity to do something good and takes it. The Girl in the Cafe proves that it wasn't just a fluke for the Potter producers to hire David Yates. The man knows what he's doing now, and he knew what he was doing then.

B+