The Girl in the Café

Last night was my weekly overnight shift.  I used the opportunity to re-watch The Girl in the Café, which my mom gave me for my birthday last month.  

I love this film.  Bill Nighy and Kelly MacDonald both deliver seamless performances in their respective roles.  Lawrence (Nighy) is a lonely civil servant working under the British Chancellor; Gina (MacDonald) is the beautiful and mysterious young woman he meets in a café.  When Lawrence impulsively invites her to the G8 conference in Reykjavík, Iceland, Gina creates a stir that threatens Lawrence's career and their relationship.  Gina refuses to be silent about her belief in the importance of the most basic human rights, asserting that, for the first time in history, the people in the conference have the both the power and responsibility to wipe out severe poverty.

If nothing else, I love the use of Sigur Rós and Damien Rice in the soundtrack.  An unusual love story with a powerful message, The Girl in the Café is a film that stays with its audience.