California writer-director Amy Ferraris turned a personal obsession with cappuccino into a first-person documentary of her journey through the US

Some people will stop at nothing in search of perfection. Filmmaker Amy Ferraris is one of those people. Her obsession with cappuccino led her around the world and prompted her to film a documentary about that journey called “The Perfect Cappuccino”, currently being shown at various film festivals around the US.

“I have a problem,” Ferraris says on her website. “I am obsessed with the cappuccino. I mean, obsessed. I will go miles and miles out of my way just to try a new one. I lie awake at night thinking about them. I even suspect that the cappuccino is the main reason that I keep finding excuses to go live in Italy.”

Ferraris’ obsession began in the early 90’s when she had her first cappuccino at a café in Rome while she was studying there as a Fulbright Scholar. But when she returned to the states hoping to replicate the experience at her local coffee shop, she was greatly disappointed. In her opinion, American cappuccinos are usually too large, too hot, and are usually served in narrow paper cups that make taking in the whole experience virtually impossible.

Amy and the not-so-Jolly Green Giant

As the years went on, the rise of Starbucks’ popularity both helped and hurt the cappuccino, Ferrari says. Their version of cappuccino was still disappointing, but it at least it was available and brought the drink to the American masses. Also, the guilt Ferrari felt when she found herself visiting Starbucks is a postmodern dilemma that only real coffee lovers can identify with. She imagined that the brand’s saturation represented a loss of individuality that was contrary to the very nature of the elegant, velvety drink that was never made the same way twice.

And so she set out to prove herself wrong, traveling from her obsession’s origin in Italy to a coffee shop in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that was embroiled in a legal battle with Starbucks, documenting the trip with her camera and providing narration to go along with it.

According to Ferraris, we are now in what she calls the “third wave” of coffee in America. We’ve gone beyond merely brewing up some Folgers on our way out the door in the morning, to a culture that embraces more sophisticated espresso-based beverages (thanks in part to Starbucks), and finally to independently operated, socially conscious coffee shops that foster the sense of community that Starbucks lacks.

“I am incredibly hopeful and excited about coffee in America right now,” she said. “And partly because of the Internet, excellent coffee is no longer limited to the big culture centers of America. It’s just as easy to get a top-notch espresso in Kansas City as it is in San Francisco.”

The film has been shown in several cities around the US and made its debut in Tulsa last night. Ferraris updates her website with upcoming screenings, so if you see “The Perfect Cappuccino” coming to your city, be sure and check it out.

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