Amelie (2001)

Movie Info

I’d watch me!

An accidental discovery leads Amelie Poulin (Audrey Tautou) to discover her love of helping people. Now, Amelie is out to help everyone she knows but neglecting herself in the process. When she encounters a mysterious man named Nino Quincampoix (Matthieu Kassovitz) with similar views on life, Amelie questions what role he might play in her destiny. Will Amelie be able to make the jump and take a chance on love?

Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Amelie (originally called Le Fabeleux Destin d’Amelie Poulin) is a romance comic fantasy.  The film was well received by critics and was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Art Design, and Best Sound.

I was on the Jean-Pierre Jeunet boat early.  I loved City of Lost Children and it made me seek out Delicatessen.  When I saw trailers for Amelie, I knew that I had to see it…and it turned into one of the fun, memorable romance movies.

I like Zorro!

While it is a great romance movie, there is a enough comedy and almost science-fiction stylized shooting to make it interesting for everyone. Be it Amelie’s imaginary pets or the talking pictures of Nino, the movie has such an interesting look. Amelie’s vision of the world seems to emote itself throughout the film and the story rewards the viewer with the sheer joy of the character’s love of life.  It is one of those foreign films that almost doesn’t need dialogue because its story is easy to follow and the actors really get the message across through their acting.

Audrey Tautou is what makes Amelie work. Her honesty on screen is fun and enjoyable. She bleeds her character and makes her feel real by connecting to the viewer. Through her imagination, the viewer is drawn in and does a great job adding to the strong acting by shooting it in a way you can see her emotions (like literally falling apart when she can’t find the strength to speak to Nino). I would argue that her performance (though it didn’t even receive an Oscar nod) was one of the better performances of the early 2000s, and she is backed a great ensemble cast.

Later that evening, the pig light slaughtered Amelie and everyone in the entire apartment building

The movie’s central idea is that of the butterfly effect. Everyone’s actions have a result on what occurs in the world. Something as simple as a skipped heartbeat, can change a life. Amelie discovers that by being proactive that she can change lives for better or worse, but she doesn’t seem to get that she can do something for her life…Jeunet uses this concept to make visuals that really bring this aspect of the story to life.  It is a feast for the eyes.

Amelie is a great movie and real fun to watch. Don’t let the foreign language scare you away. It is easy to watch and visual but not too visual for the subtitles to be a distraction. Amelie is the type of movie that you question what happened to the characters after the ending…five years…ten years…twenty years.  Maybe we’ll get an answer some day.  Jean-Pierre Jeunet is an interesting director, and Amelie probably is his best and most accessible work so check it out!