The Tunes

The regular customers at Café La Perle in Brussels love entertaining each other by singing chansons and karaoke—to reminisce or to forget, to break the drudgery of everyday life, or simply for fun. The music helps forge close friendships at the bar.

The affectionate camera follows the mainly older male regulars, against the traditional backdrop of dark wood paneling, beer ads and the flashing lights of slot machines. They talk about what the music of Elvis, Dalida and Johnny Hallyday means to them, and they sing their favorite chansons—whether at the bar with a beer in hand or in the flickering light of the karaoke screen.

And of course there is deserved attention for a singing lobster, a musical train and other café paraphernalia. The café, after all, is the meeting place for friendship, for distraction and for dreams that will never come true, explains one of the customers. The slightly tragicomic atmosphere pervading this celebration of a popular musical culture naturally culminates in a moving final chord.