entry six/Reevaluation my favorite film

Amélie is an eccentric French film from director Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Not only does Amélie charm you with her whimsical and peculiar antics, the cinematography and music score will overload you with happiness. If reading subtitles doesn’t bother you, then I highly recommend Amélie, not only for the charismatic story, but also for the beautiful picture and setting. The cinematography is filled with bright greens and deep reds, and feels like a huge painting. Jeunet appointed Yann Tierson to create the entire soundtrack, which was filled with piano driven and accordion filled pieces. Jeunet has a special talent of telling a charming story and actually allowing us to feel like we are right in the middle of Paris.

Amélie, played by French actress Audrey Tautou, was raised by two odd parents, and spends her childhood playing make-believe with imaginary friends. Her mother died of an accidental death when she was quite young, which made her father emotionally unavailable. Despite her rather peculiar upbringing, Amélie grows up to be somewhat “normal”, living alone in the city working as a waitress at the local café in Montmartre. At a pivotal moment in her adult life, Amélie discovers a lost box of treasures and memories from the tenant who lived in her apartment long before she was born. She decides in this moment that she will return the box, and if the owner is moved by seeing these old memories, she will from there on vow to enhance the lives of those around her. The film follows Amélie in her quest to bring joy to her lonely father, who’s dream was to travel the world but was never able to because of a misdiagnosis of the health of Amélie’s heart. She helps a hypochondriac co-worker find love, and plays mischievous tricks on a mean man who owns the local vegetable cart. But something is still missing for Amélie. She quickly discovers that her heart needs to find love.

During this time of mischief and adventure, she encounters Nino Quincampoix, played by Mathieu Kassovitz. Nino has lost his prized collection of discarded photos from photo booths, and Amélie finds the album. She plays a game of hide-and-seek with Nino, and in the midst, falls in love with him. She is too scared to reveal her true feelings, and Nino is too timid to express his feelings as well. Amélie is given sound advice from an old neighbor, whom she calls “The Glass Man”. He tells her “So, my little Amélie, you don’t have bones of glass. You can take life’s knocks. If you let this chance pass, eventually your heart will become as dry and brittle as my skeleton. So, go get him, for Pete’s sake!”

Simply put, Amélie is a wonderfully made movie that all should enjoy. Tautou captures the hearts of her audience. We are on the edge of our seats, hoping all of the goodness Amélie is spreading will surely come back to her. The kindness that one person can have for others is contagious, and her creative way of spreading this joy is exciting to the eye.