This is an off-beat, highly-original photoplay about a small, nondescript coffee shop (called "Funiculi Funicula") that offers a time travel (TT) service for the price of a cup of coffee. It has done so for quite a long time (the origin is a bit murky). Very strict rules (posted in the shop) apply for travelers. Trip durations are limited to the time the coffee (specially prepared and poured) stays warm; it must be finished before becoming cold. Disregarding this rule will result in a one-way trip with the traveler trapped indefinitely in the past (this infraction can also gum up the TT system). Travelers are allowed only to go backward in time (TT into the future is not offered--there are too many unknowns) and any changes made while in the past will have zero impact on the present (the latter neatly avoids a major theoretical problem with TT and timelines). The storyline's blending of tearful melodramas (there are several involving coffee shop customers and staff) with science fiction works well. Perhaps the most interesting scenes occur at the start and end of the movie. The beginning features a manic and hilarious set of scenes with fast-paced (and loud) dialog that serves as an in-your-face overview of what the film is about; the finale involves multigenerational TT in rapid succession to close the major plot loop. (Most minor loops are also closed here by over dosing on happy and feel-good endings.) Acting and direction are generally good. Clever staging and photography successfully hides most of the single-set, stage-play like appearance of the film. Lighting tends to be on the dark side. Subtitles seem close enough. Bolt-on music can be a major distraction with many mismatches between full orchestral surges and what's happening on screen. Overall though, well worth the trips. Viewed at the JICC Virtual Winter Film Fest. WILLIAM FLANIGAN.

Just listening to the rules to travel to the past made me think it was trash.

The movie is a bit boring at times, especially at the beginning and the time travel thing isn't done in a very compelling way either. The random rules people have to adhere to in order to visit the past just seem like excuses so the production could stay within its budget. It could have been done more creatively. There are some charming and emotional human interactions and stories in the various subplots, but not all of them are intriguing and it's a bit far fetched that it all takes place with the cafe as the center. It's almost like a theater play with different life lessons. So it kind of swings between nice and "could be better", but ultimately I did like it because like most japanese movies it's very wholesome and a welcome escape from the ugliness of modern western "culture".