WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Making one’s way in the world can be difficult enough given the multitude of elements that have some form of effect on every routine we maintain, even if it’s something as simple as eating. Yet, what if you find yourself in another place you don’t have that familiarity with, no true comprehension of the surrounding, customs, or language, a fish out of water, a stranger, an alien? Can you adapt? Or will it be a frustration that has no immediate end? It is a common enough local diner in the city, filled with regulars both customers and employees. However, on this particular morning, the door opens and the man who enters, an immigrant named Pablo (Memo), sits down at the counter.
Saying nothing and watching others around him order from the efficiently fast-moving waitress (Deirdre MacNamara), the perplexed look on his countenance only seems to increase while attempting to peruse the menu. Upon finally being approached by the waitress, he orders the only thing he becomes acquainted with. Each subsequent morning, his order remains the same, with the hustle and bustle around him never diminishing, no one the wiser to the actual dilemma he continues to struggle with. Finally, his unspoken pleas for assistance appears when engaging with a fellow customer named Camila (Rocio Mendez), who not only discovers his plight, but goes above and beyond to assist. The question remains, though, whether personal pride will undermine or strengthen the true sincerity behind kindness.
Next, my Mind:
As any of us who’ve lived in the United States for almost any period of time knows, the nation very much remains a melting pot of ethnicities and cultures, all intermixed, all interacting, all simply striving to master the existence we’ve been given to, we hope, fullest potential, ideally showing a willingness to help our fellow man while at it, regardless of race, creed, color, or sex. Yet, how often do we tend to actually do nothing but keep our proverbial, and sometimes literal, heads down, tracking only ourselves, our own agendas, our own space, even when immersed in public or social situations where the most basic acknowledgement of another human being could change their entire perspective on themselves and perhaps the new reality they’re facing? For this critic, these concepts get deftly displayed with high impact through writer/director/producer/editor Cary Patrick Martin’s twelve minute short film effort, a study in the power of human connection that also infuses how hesitant we can be to deeply, fully accept aid from another without it becoming some false sense of neediness or weakness in our minds when it’s offered.
It’s the potency of being willing to step out and talk to a total stranger, starting with the easiest of greetings and a smile, not in itself to expect the ramifications of it leading to what is executed here, but more so to just establish a common understanding that perhaps for once in a long time, your own self-contained world will be open to accept the actuality of another, and that somehow, some way, both parties will benefit. I love how this is illustrated in the film, though, via creating a scenario becoming more and more common to occur–the chance to engage with someone of another country, show interest in them, and possibly find out all they wished for was for someone to notice them and provide assistance, rather than being made to feel, even if unintentionally, invisible, surrounded by people noticing nothing but their own cell phone screens, as it were. Likewise, the film’s diner setting is a perfect choice to utilize for the points being made, given the often hurried nature of everyone who comes in, thoughts clouded with the busyness of what the day might hold, needing their orders now, now, now, and then moving on without so much as a glance at anyone else.
Even the waitress becomes an example of someone used to her regular’s routines so much, that she no longer even asks what many of these individuals want because the assumption is “the usual”, becoming an additional means to showcase the narrative’s ultimate intents. It all leads to a beautiful second act and finale, which brings the focus onto a single act of kindness and the ripples it causes in the circumstances at hand. Memo is absolutely convincing and charmingly innocent in his role as Pablo, a very recent immigrant to the U.S. who gets to experience first hand some of the rushed mentalities and “on autopilot” actions that can come with American lifestyle upon first visiting a local diner one morning. Unable to understand the menu or speak any English, and finding no one seems to clue in on his quietly yet evident discouragement with everything, he takes the only path he can determine for days upon days until finally, randomly, Camila chooses to directly interact with him and learn about his conundrum and uncertainty. It’s a wonderful series of moments they share, initially hitting a small roadblock, but in the end, realizing how much they’ve both gained from straightforward joy in communication, patience, and mutual appreciation for one another. Memo throughout enacts Pablo’s struggles with realistic and affecting poise and performance.
Mendez turns in an equally delightful portrayal as Camila, a diner regular from what we can glean, who makes a decision to just say a kind “Hello” to Pablo while at the counter one day that turns into a winning conversation which takes both her and Pablo into a newfound association, helping him find some common ground with another person to start and then forming a wonderful friendship. Camila’s desire to assist Pablo and help him learn English in order to be able to adjust his, well, order at the diner consistently brings a happiness and sense of purpose to her days that really shines forth, though also makes the initial sting of a minor “rejection” more hurtful when it occurs. Still, the perseverance and determination to remain available for Pablo is heartwarming and a true object lesson to be taken to heart, and Mendez does a great job enacting it. MacNamara also delivers solidly as the diner’s main waitress who we can immediately tell has been the veteran presence there for a long while, taking orders with a speed and proficiency that indicates how many times she’s heard and taken patron’s orders. However, her lack of actually noticing details such as Pablo’s real quandary speaks to her mindset perhaps needing a little tweaking, not because she isn’t nice or relatable, but more her not quite realizing that sometimes, being too unaware or distracted by routine can make you miss important things.
Her “awakening” from this is genuine and entertaining, with MacNamara playing the character with steady effectiveness. Supporting appearances are made by Jonathan Cherr, Christine Cornell, Ila Duncan, Tom MacNamara, Chris McSorely, Shana Mlawski, Eddie Powers, Egor Subbotin, Karen Sweeney, Lisa Valeri, and Annique Witdoeckt. In total, “Coffee And A Donut” brings out the continuously needed thematic points about how we lose sight of everything else but our own world far too often, need to be more cognizant of people and situations around us, find opportunity to take a chance and interact with someone who you might find will be grateful that you did, and just exercise more kindness in general, because helping anyone in need, no matter what the situation might be, is always a worthy endeavor.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
