Amelie is a French film starring Audrey Tautou and directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. The movie has a magical realism style and is known for its distinctive green tint. When it came over to the States it became an instant indie darling.
The Set-Up
Tautou plays the titular Amelie. Amelie is a pretty but shy and awkward young adult. She lives alone in a Paris apartment and works as a waitress at a restaurant in the Montmartre district. One day, she discovers a box of old toys hidden in her apartment. She decides to find out who they belong to and return them. When she does find the original owner he is moved to receive his old toys. She decides then to spend her free time doing small favors for others.
Through her mission to help others she meets other quirky characters in her building and comes out of her shell a little. She also notices Nino (Mathieu Kassovitz), a young man who is also awkward and shy. He has his own unusual hobby as well. She is smitten with him and sets up an elaborate game for Nino to play to meet her.
The rest of the movie follows the Nino and Amelie game, although stories of the other personalities continue in the background.
Why It’s Great
There’s a delightful charm to Tautou as Amelie and this movie in general. They could both come across as twee, annoying, and solipsistic; but somehow they do not. You root for Amelie and the other misfits in this film.
I’m really not sure why this film is so agreeable. The characters in this movie have real issues, but Amelie seems to think that they can be fixed simply by love and niceness. That’s a naive world that would be nice to live in. Each character has their own story, their own past, and their own ups and downs. That reminds us that everyone in the world has their own story to tell.
I can’t recommend this movie to everyone. It’s in French, and if you’re one of those people who can’t read while watching movies I can’t say this will change your mind (though your missing whole swaths of amazing movies). If you dislike movies that are precious you might not like this movie. But for those willing to give this movie a chance I think most people with a little heart will like it.