‘A Cup Of Coffee And New Shoes On Review: An Extraordinary Bond Is Tested In A Deeply Moving Brotherhood Drama
A handsome young man sleepily prepares breakfast in a tyrant's cozy apartment bathed in pale morning light. Eventually his brother, identical twins, and his brother's girlfriend join him, turning on the radio and leading the children in an impromptu dance before sitting down at the table. Opening with Albanian writer/director Gentian Kochi's subtle yet moving A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes, the carefully watched morning routine is a quintessential slice of a happy life with no words, just a vague, awkward little dance. . And then the woman goes to work and the coffee cup breaks and neither brother blinks.
Brothers Agim and Gezim (Portuguese actors Rafael and Edgar Morais, who make a wonderfully synergistic acting duo) who run a carpentry business, are deaf from birth. As a result, the close relationship that one would expect between identical twins has become closer; they communicate with others through gestures and lip reading, but have developed a personal language with each other that involves eye and tactile contact rather than words. Their undeniable interdependence survives the introduction of a third party: Geziman's girlfriend Ana (a surprisingly sexy Drita Kabashi), who would become a source of conflict or jealousy in another film, becomes a part of their lives. partly because he recognized the superiority of the brotherhood of the two.
For a while, the drama in Kochi's delicate story follows Gezim and Agim, despite their disabilities, gracefully maneuvering through their hectic days, whether working between lathes and saws or playing card games with friends in beer bars. . in smoky bars or a short drive to their hometown, where old men drink crab and kiss these "sons of the country." But this harmony is interrupted when Agim begins to show signs of visual impairment. She hides her fear from her brother and mother as much as she can. But his eyesight is deteriorating, and the three go to the doctor, who gives him a bleak prognosis: Agim will be irreparably blind in an incredibly short period of time, just a few months. Soon, Gezim or Ana will need help with even the simplest tasks: shaving, dressing, going to the bathroom.
Agim's frustration at his growing despair is compounded by the weight of the millstone of the additional secret he is keeping from Gezimi. Meanwhile, Gezim's fear of her brother's growing depression is exacerbated by her misunderstanding why she and Agim are emotionally incompatible for perhaps the first time. The fact that Kochi, in his second narrative work after 2017's Subh, articulates all of this so clearly without falling into mere sentimentality is indicative of the restraint of his style. The stillness of Ilias Adamis's extraordinary cinematography and Mirto Carr's calm, steady editing pace allow the story to draw its strength from moments and interactions that happen as naturally as breathing. Agim is desperate to learn Braille. Gezim sees Ana undressing in the bedroom. A mother comforts Agimi after an unusual ruckus at her birthday party: a scene so small, yet so brutal, it may bring tears to her eyes. They are less likely to stop.
In particular, the understated introduction allows the performances to flourish and the three main characters are exceptional. And the supporting roles, played with wit and generosity, are eccentric and characteristic, yet there are no bad guys in this film, just good people trying to do what's best for others, even, or especially, when fate intervenes. forced to take a rather unfair hand. However, the unique chemistry between the Morais brothers (who are not deaf and have learned Albanian Sign Language for their roles) really elevates the film. Their striking physical resemblance somehow magnifies the slightest mood swing or phase loss between them in a tectonic event. A brief but very intimate introduction to the shared world of the twins, which also forms the final scene that gives this unusual title devastating meaning, makes A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes such a rare discovery - exploring the real life of some way. . -In addition to describing the tragedy of the world, the heartbreakingly desperate brotherhood, the unconditional love, lifts the heart, even gently breaks it.
