Le Fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain (Amélie) | Review

The most charming film of the year!

Once this little picture that could was a film that could not make it as an official selection at Cannes, has now become one of the top box-office draws in France and has finally hit this side of the Atlantic, and the words “Academy Award” might soon be attached to this title come Oscar season. Let me tell you, that this is the kind of film that you still feel the affects of once you leave the theatre; actually there might be some extra bounce in your step, a smile out of the corner of your mouth or quite possibly a glow on your face. Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain (or as most English people will learn to call it, Amelie) is a very warm and delightful French comedy that will enchant you with a wonderful use of film imagery and an extraordinarily microscopic intelligent sense of storytelling. I can say that from the start I was completely seduced by this film, with this magic formula of quick shot by shot description of Amélie, as the unborn child, as this goldfish loving only child who lives in the typical childlike imaginary world. This formula is aided by this heavy-toned and sometimes quick Parisian French narration (André Dussollier) that describes the short history of our heroine which includes her likes and dislikes. This introductory sequence properly sets us up for the tone of the picture and the charm that we are at times caught off guard by.

Amélie (Audrey Tatou) is a girl living the simple life- mainly working in this bistro-café and taking care of her ageing father. The people in her life consist of co-workers, customers and bunch of other loners. One day she discovers a treasure of sorts, which will eventually send her into this good-deed frenzy. Finding this treasure heightens her too a higher level of curiosity, thus pushing her to putting her nose in everybody’s business which will then include her neighbours and complete strangers. With her new found curiosity, she discovers more about what makes others tick, thus leading us the viewer into her many adventures in and around the nooks and crannies of the cobble-stone streets of Paris. Much of the focus now shifts into the world of these odd-ball characters, which no one would pay-much attention too, but obviously, our Amélie focuses on them, as the same time she still remains at the forefront of the audience’s attention. Jean-Pierre Jeunet does not let this one delve into excess, when something is good the audience receives sufficient doses and then the film and the many more stories continue along, never letting us get too much of a good thing. These vignettes are in reality, a bunch of absurdities and banalities which compose the human experience and our very own existence, touching upon our own childhood memories, our longing to feel loved, our curiosity for the unknown, and touching into the playfulness that exists within the all of us. The film seduces us with such things as the world travels of a gnome, lottery scratch cards, famous paintings by the dozen, discarded pictures from photo booths and plenty of other odd habits. The casting of Tauton as Amélie is a great choice, she adds much to the charm of the picture. She comes across very well off the screen, her looks of mischief and looks of amusement almost makes us want to take her in your arms and not let go. The remainder of the cast play the stereotypical parts, however it is not overdone, thus making all screen personalities very much enjoyable. With cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel, Jeunet uses a great mix of shots including great close-ups, and the colors in this film seem to make everything come alive, possibly from a choice of colored-lens or digital coloring. Jeunet remaining true to his previous features adds a dash of special effects into this fantasy and the end result is a Paris that is almost as good as a Robert Doisneau picture. Indulge yourself in a some great cinema, great storytelling…basically a gem and splendid film that merits a second viewing at the theatre, this is refreshing cinema and as I write this, it is my top film of the year.

Viewed in original French language.

Rating 4.5 stars