The scripting is well proportioned, allowing for a affect tempered narrative that blossoms out into an interesting and rewarding climactic spiel. The music plays a very subordinate, supportive role allowing for words and emotions to capture the imagination without hampering effect.

Warrier sets up an interesting premise, but cripples it with a deathly slow pace. ‘Coffee Bloom’ has a silly turning point involving a marauding elephant and a gunshot that make way for a farcical, half-baked investigation. The emotional outbursts between Dev and Anika, and their touching final scene, fare better in holding your interest.

Kariappa’s journey, from awkward renunciation of the world, to making peace with his present, doesn’t really bloom: the actors are hard at work but not to much purpose. Coffee Bloom becomes one of those films whose premise is interesting, but which is let down by the execution.

What’s important is that debut director Manu Warrier delivers what the promos promised and that doesn’t happen too often.

If you are up for a good relaxed weekend viewing then Coffee Bloom should be your pick.

… if you find nothingness fascinating and are fine with films boasting of unhurried silences and stunning landscapes, you can give this indie film a shot. Ironically, you will need a cup of coffee to sit through this tedious affair.

Coffee Bloom may not be everyone’s cup of coffee. But once in a while, there comes a film which refreshes our mind and soul. Coffee Bloom is one of them. It takes us deep into the tangled emotions of its characters, one sip at a time. And, in the end we are left with a refreshing afterglow. Just like the morning cup of coffee.

Most movies climax at the interval and leave the rest of it in a mess. Not COFFEE BLOOM, it moves up gradually, rising to a crescendo as the final scene explodes, or should I say diffuses. The music adds volumes to the silence in between.

Shot on location in Coorg, the film offers scenic views of the majestic estate and the idyllic life its owners lead.

The conversations, however, are less poetic. The dialogues oscillate between verbose and flippant throughout the film, consequently diluting the impact the film’s key moments could have otherwise had.

The film has a sense of warmth that ensures the audience would not want to ditch it half-way. However, the pace is a little slow – something associated with the movies that premiere at festivals before hitting theatres.

Instead of trying so desperately to weave the landscape into a plot, the director should have made a documentary on the coffee plantations of Coorg.

For now, I am off coffee.

Thanks to the uninspiring script, the ho-hum performances, dull cinematography (Coorg could have looked so much more beautiful) and lackluster dialogues, you want to grab a cup of coffee to slap yourself awake once you are done with the movie.

Coffee Bloom eventually reiterates the importance of strong fine black coffee, if only to get through the movie.

What could have been an interesting tale of love, remorse and emotional turmoil, ends up being a wishy washy drama between some sketchy characters.

This is Warrier’s first feature, which might account for a couple of blind spots: too much holy-earth-karma blather on the voice-over, a bland soundtrack, touristy photography. Yet there are also moments when Coffee Bloom’s characters access deep reserves of hurt and despair, which is when the film’s bruised, beating heart is laid bare.