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Amelie
The French have been known to be a very dramatic people. [They]
are glad to die for love , says Satine from this
summers Moulin Rouge. It is this sense of
poetic romanticism that Jeunet captures in Amelie.
It is a film of pure magic and a true testament to the Frenchs
romantic outlook on life.
The film opens with our introduction to little Amelie, growing
up in a dysfunctional home. With a father who was emotionally
distant and a mother who was emotionally unbalanced, Amelie
kept mostly to herself with only her imagination to keep her
company. Now that Amelie (Audrey Tautou) is all grown up,
she decides to fill the void in her life by helping others
find happiness, whether it be through love, rekindling memories
of ones past or helping a gnome travel around the world.
Amelie is there to save the day.
However, she soon discovers that her good deeds alone will
not complete her. Amelie needs to help herself, by finding
what will make Amelie truly happy in life her true love.
Amelie is one of those quirky European films that
tries so hard to be different both in story and structure,
and fortunately it works to its benefit. Just like Jeunets
other films (Delicatessen and The City of
the Lost Children), Amelie has a not-of-this-world
feel to it. Although not as bizarre as the other mentioned
films, Amelie is set in a realistic world with
a twist of outlandishness.
The film is brimming with colorful personalities, ranging
from a lonesome hypochondriac to a breakable recluse. However,
it is Amelie that anchors the entire film together. With her
alluring smile and admirable altruistic endeavors, it is very
difficult not to like her. She exudes such warmth and beauty,
making the film even more gratifying. Combined with the directors
unique and often humorous filmmaking style, Amelie
is a sure charmer. No wonder it became a big hit in France
and is doing wonderful business here in the United States.
My only qualm about Amelie is that it loses some
of its steam midway, but thats a minor quibble. Jeunet
has crafted a truly magical film bursting with humanity and
romance. It has a lock at getting an Oscar nomination for
Best Foreign Language Film, and being the crowd-pleaser that
is, Amelie has a very good chance of winning.