Even master auteurs have an off day. A premise that doesn’t pan out. A vision others can’t see. But somehow film buffs find some kind of gold in whatever they do.

There are few sights more shocking than a talented veteran filmmaker totally whiffing: That rare surprise occurred with director Abderrahmane Sissako’s jumbled and misjudged romance “Black Tea.”

For all its comforting warmth, Sissako’s film ultimately lacks the deeper complexity of its namesake, even if watching it is often as soothing as sipping a freshly brewed cup.

Turn to Black Tea for distraction, comfort, or answers of any kind, and be left wanting. There are no answers here, only the disappointing question of how a filmmaker as accomplished as Abderrahmane Sissako made a film as bad as this.