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Matinee: 'Café Americano'
19 August 2023
Saturday matinees long ago let us escape from the ordinary world to the island of the Swiss Family Robinson or the mutinous decks of the Bounty. Why not, we thought, escape the usual fare here with Saturday matinees of our favorite photography films?
So we're pleased to present the 514th in our series of Saturday matinees today: Café Americano.
This 3:40 film by Joey Schusler, Ben Page and Thomas Woodson stars Shawn Neer. Inspired by a photo his father gave him as a boy, Neer bikes through the Italian countryside in search of the illusive perfect cup of coffee. It was produced for Yeti Cycles, which is Neer's preferred means of transportation.
Here's the liner notes:
Join us for an immersive experience with adventure filmmaker, Joey Schusler as Yeti rider, Shawn Neer guides us through the Italian countryside in search of the best cup of coffee life has to give. On his way, Neer straps in for urban riding in the villages of Cinque Terre, shreds singletrack in the Dolomites and finds himself lost in caffeine fueled hallucinations and Alfa Romeo mechanicals before discovering what his journey was really about. So, prepare yourself a beverage, sit back and enjoy the journey.
The scenery, the riding, the whole production is, frankly, spectacular.
Narrated by Cristina Soria, you're never as lost as Shawn in this amusing fable of realizing your dream. Fortunately, she keeps him on track.
"Carefully, silly boy," she admonishes him after a crash. "I hear the hospital has terrible coffee."
That's just one episode in this fast-moving adventure, paced by some dare-devil bike riding. Which even appears in the dream sequence after Neer drinks too many coffees waiting for his car to be repaired by a tractor mechanic.
We thought this video was great fun when we found it but there's also an encouraging word for photographers (and anyone else with a dream).
"Always do what you love!" Soria sums it up.