Short film

Cigarettes & Coffee

1993 · 24 min

A quiet, talky noir that slowly tightens its grip as strangers' stories intertwine over coffee and smoke.

Overview: At a desert diner, the lives of five strangers become linked through a single twenty-dollar bill. Shot for $20,000 and starring Philip Baker Hall, the short premiered at Sundance and later inspired Anderson’s debut feature Hard Eight (1996).
How it feels: Tense, dark, melancholic and cynical. Slow-burning and needs your attention.
About: Fate, guilt, betrayal, crime
Content: Mild violence and language. No gore or sexual content.
Note: Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Full breakdown

Tone: tensestrength 2 of 3
darkstrength 2 of 3
melancholicstrength 2 of 3
cynicalstrength 1 of 3
Pacing: slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: fate
guilt
betrayal
crime
deception
Places: small town
road trip
Era: contemporary
Audience: adult
Form: nonlinear
ensemble
Content intensity: Gore none
Language mild
Violence mild
Sex none