Film
A Film About Coffee
- Light-hearted
- Slow-burning
A globe-trotting meditation on specialty coffee that takes seriously what makes a great cup. You'll visit farms in Honduras and Rwanda, roasteries in Portland, and bars in Tokyo, guided by farmers and baristas who've made coffee their life's work. Beautifully shot, genuinely curious, never pretentious—for anyone who's wondered why their morning matters.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you already have opinions about your morning cup and enjoy hearing farmers and baristas argue about process, roast and terroir with obvious affection.
Skip it if you want a story with stakes or a sense of where things are heading, since this is a loose, wandering tour of ideas and places rather than a plot.
What it asks of you: It runs about an hour and a little more, moves at an unhurried, conversational pace, and rewards the viewer who lingers over each stop on its route.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Jiro Dreams of Sushi2011
Same meditative approach to mastery and craft. An aging sushi master refines his technique across decades while the film quietly asks what devotion to excellence actually means. Hypnotic.
But Slow, repetitive, and entirely about sushi. If you're looking for narrative momentum or conflict, you won't find it here.
The Toys That Made Us2017
Explores obsessive creation and the people behind beloved things. Each episode digs into passion, business, and the gap between intention and what the world receives. Smart, accessible, genuinely interesting.
But Occasionally glossy corporate storytelling. Some episodes prioritize entertainment over depth, which can feel slight.
King Corn2007
Two filmmakers trace American corn from seed to stomach across a year. It's got humor, genuine investigation, and real stakes—you'll never see a corn subsidy the same way. Food documentaries at their best.
But More activist than meditative; occasionally heavy-handed about what you should think. The tone shifts between funny and preachy.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from A Film About Coffee
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Baraka1992
Both films trust beauty and observation over explanation. Both are about seeing the world as itself, without editorial intervention. A Film About Coffee with all words removed.
A visual symphony shot across 24 countries with no dialogue, narration, or plot. It's pure image and sound—markets, rituals, labor, beauty, decay. You experience it the way you taste: sensory first, intellectual second.
But Totally abstract; no story to follow or argument to track. Requires surrender to the image. Won't work if you need narrative or context.
More like this (6)
Manufactured Landscapes2006
A photographer documents industrial transformation across the globe. Visually stunning, philosophically ambitious, it asks what beauty and consequence mean. Hypnotic tracking shots you won't forget.
But No narration, minimal dialogue. Demands patient, active watching. Some will find it glacial.
My Octopus Teacher2020
A filmmaker spends a year observing an octopus in a kelp forest. It's about observation, connection, and wonder—beautifully shot and genuinely moving. Simple premise, profound execution.
But Heavily dependent on your tolerance for animal intimacy. Some find it overly sentimental or precious.
Blackfish2013
Investigates orca captivity at SeaWorld with devastating clarity. Methodical, well-structured, impossible to look away from. Documentary filmmaking in service of genuine inquiry.
But Explicitly activist agenda; shows animal suffering in ways designed to provoke. Not detached or subtle.
Urbanized2011
A sprawling look at cities and the people who design them. Visits Copenhagen, Vancouver, and Lagos; asks how design shapes lives. Optimistic without being naive.
But Ambitious scope means nothing gets real depth. Feels like a high-end television series rather than a focused argument.
The Salt of Life2011
Follows a salt farmer on the Italian coast across seasons. Quiet, gorgeous, about tradition and place. If you loved Coffee, this operates on the same frequencies.
But Minimal narrative; it's essentially a very long observation. Some will find it monotonous despite its beauty.
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown2013
Both treat food and drink as entry points to understanding culture. Both reject the idea that craft exists in a vacuum. Both are love letters wrapped in journalism.
A chef travels the world eating and asking questions. Like Coffee's global curiosity, but more conversational, more human friction. Bourdain cares about politics, poverty, and pleasure equally. Twenty-five episodes of genuine world-building.
But Bourdain's persona can overwhelm the subject. His later seasons feel more about him than the places. Some episodes are uneven in focus.
People
Directing
- Brandon LoperDirector
Recommended by
Aging Out, A Place at the Table, Seed: The Untold Story, The Minimalists: Less Is Now, Ramen Heads, Kim's Video, Dish: Women, Waitressing & the Art of Service, 1906, Pandora's Promise, The Monastery