AMELIE (Les fabuleux destin d'Amelie Poulain) (2001)
Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Starring: Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz, Rufus, Serge Merlin, Michel Robin, Jamel Debbouze, Dominique Pinon, Clotilde Mollet
Amelie Poulain (Tautou) has always lived an isolated life. Her parents were distant to the point of being cold - even harsh. Now, she lives and works in Paris with a varied group of eccentrics who all have similarly complex problems. However, one day - specifically, the day Lady Di passed away - she finds a small box hidden in her apartment that is full of old toys. She sets out to find the man, but is much too shy to step outside of her circle of friends and co-workers. With their help, she tracks down the man to whom these toys belonged as a boy. Inspired by this one good dead, she sets herself on a quest to make the lives of those around her just a little brighter. However, the one person she doesn't seem to be able to help is herself.
I went into this film thinking it was just another romantic comedy, and we all know how I feel about those (with few exceptions). However, this film is so much more than that. Sure, there's a bit of romance thrown in (it is French, after all), but that's not the film's focus. It's more about doing what we can to make our world a better place; not the whole world, but just our sphere of influence. Also, it's about stepping out of our comfort zone to follow our hearts.
Yeah, I know, this all sounds a bit too much like an after-school special. But the thing that saves it is the fact that it is extremely well-made in just about every respect. I've only seen one other film by Jean-Pierre Jeunet - The City of Lost Children - and that was a grotesque and disturbing film I really remember little about, other than it starred Ron Perlman (who I didn't know could speak French). The cinematic style of Amelie is similar, but it is used for a much sweeter result. This is a film that never lets you forget you're watching a movie. The viewer is privy to nearly every aspect of the characters' private lives through an ever-present narrator, a series of their likes and dislikes, a peek into their dreams and even x-ray vision. Yes, Jeunet calls attention to the fact that you're watching a movie, but he does so in a fun way. It's like he found a cinematic tool-box and, like a little kid, is having a blast using everything in it. But like an adult, he exercises a bit of control. Not very much, but just enough.
One of the things I love best about foreign films is the fact that I'm usually not familiar with the actors involved, so celebrity doesn't ruin my ability to see characters rather than stars. Although this is the film that made Audrey Tautou an international star, bring her into films such as The DaVinci Code and Coco Before Chanel. But here, I didn't see an actress. I saw Amelie Poulain, the shy, sweet, wonderful young lady. And I won't lie; I was kind of crushing on her big time. But that's another story...
Yes, I am also in love with Amelie... it's the hidden Frenchman inside me. Or maybe it's the wine talking, IDK. ;^)
ReplyDeleteI actually liked City of Lost Children and thought it was an interesting, engaging story. A little scary in the way that some fantasies are, and Jeunet doesn't always come to the same conclusions that you'd expect, but he is a fascinating filmmaker. Needless to say, I have MicMacs in my queue.