This blog is not meant solely for movie reviews, but by sheer coincidence this post is also about a movie. However, the film I’m about to talk about could not be more different from the one I reviewed previously.
It all started with The Da Vinci Code coming out a few months ago. Like countless others, I watched it. The movie was OK, not horrible but not excellent either. Tom Hanks, one of my favourite actors, sadly didn’t show the kind of acting brilliance he displayed in previous films such as Forrest Gump. I was, however, quite impressed by Audrey Tautou’s performance. She played a strong character and was the emotional core of the storyline. I vaguely recalled that her breakout role was in a French movie called Amélie. Her acting talent intrigued me so I sought to get a copy of the film. When I finally obtained and watched Amélie a few nights ago, what I saw blew me away.
Amélie is a shy young woman who works as a waitress in a café in Paris. She’s quirky and curious and revels in life’s simple pleasures, like skipping stones across a river. She also had a tragic childhood that makes her a bit of a loner. One fateful day, she sees a news report about Princess Diana’s death. This leads to a chain of events that convince her to become a regular do-gooder, going out of her way to help others and make people happy. Her adventures and escapades are highly entertaining yet touching to watch.
The supporting characters that surround Amélie are a truly colourful bunch. From the staff and regular customers at the café, to the landlady and tenants of her apartment building, to the neighbourhood grocer and his assistant, these people all play a part in Amélie’s life. They factor into highly amusing subplots and provide us with the film’s lighter moments.
Of course, no movie would be complete without a good love story, and the one in this film definitely does not disappoint. During one of her outings, Amélie meets a guy who’s as queer and lonely as she is, and she’s instantly smitten. His eccentricity is obvious through his hobby of collecting and piecing together photos that are torn up and discarded by their owners at instant photo booths. Amélie feels a connection with him, yet has not the courage to go up and speak to him face to face. Instead she chooses to love him from afar, and plays elaborate games with him to let him know her feelings without discovering who she is. Their relationship is genuinely romantic and funny and sweet without being sappy. This love story is one of the best I’ve ever seen, and it gave me that warm, fuzzy feeling inside that made me wish I were in love too.
The cast of this movie display superb acting skills. Audrey Tautou absolutely shines in her portrayal of the mischievous and charming Amélie with her expressive eyes and infectious smile. There’s no doubt Tautou has serious talent. However the acting and storyline aren’t the only things that make this film great. The cinematography is excellent and the music delightful. The movie also takes us to various beautiful locations around Paris. Amélie is truly an art film.
To be fair, this movie contains scenes that aren’t commonly seen by us Asians, who are (arguably) more conservative. The film features topless women and a sex shop and a hilarious example of why “banging” is a term for sex =D Nudity isn’t taboo in Europe, so a certain degree of open-mindedness is required on our part. But I’m sure that’s not a problem, especially for the guys who’d take this as an extra incentive to watch Amélie =P
I cannot stress how glad I am that I found this gem of a movie. After an overdose of American films, Amélie is a breath of fresh air. The multi-million dollar budgets, explosive action, dazzling special effects, predictable, recycled storylines and disproportionately beautiful people that are a Hollywood staple are not present in this film. Hearing the characters speak in a language I didn’t understand and having to rely fully on subtitles was strange, but only at first. Once I got caught up in the story, I completely forgot I was even watching a French film. All in all, this is one of the best films I’ve seen.
P/s: If anyone is interested in watching this movie but can’t find a copy, let me know and I’ll lend mine to you =)
It all started with The Da Vinci Code coming out a few months ago. Like countless others, I watched it. The movie was OK, not horrible but not excellent either. Tom Hanks, one of my favourite actors, sadly didn’t show the kind of acting brilliance he displayed in previous films such as Forrest Gump. I was, however, quite impressed by Audrey Tautou’s performance. She played a strong character and was the emotional core of the storyline. I vaguely recalled that her breakout role was in a French movie called Amélie. Her acting talent intrigued me so I sought to get a copy of the film. When I finally obtained and watched Amélie a few nights ago, what I saw blew me away.
Amélie is a shy young woman who works as a waitress in a café in Paris. She’s quirky and curious and revels in life’s simple pleasures, like skipping stones across a river. She also had a tragic childhood that makes her a bit of a loner. One fateful day, she sees a news report about Princess Diana’s death. This leads to a chain of events that convince her to become a regular do-gooder, going out of her way to help others and make people happy. Her adventures and escapades are highly entertaining yet touching to watch.
The supporting characters that surround Amélie are a truly colourful bunch. From the staff and regular customers at the café, to the landlady and tenants of her apartment building, to the neighbourhood grocer and his assistant, these people all play a part in Amélie’s life. They factor into highly amusing subplots and provide us with the film’s lighter moments.
Of course, no movie would be complete without a good love story, and the one in this film definitely does not disappoint. During one of her outings, Amélie meets a guy who’s as queer and lonely as she is, and she’s instantly smitten. His eccentricity is obvious through his hobby of collecting and piecing together photos that are torn up and discarded by their owners at instant photo booths. Amélie feels a connection with him, yet has not the courage to go up and speak to him face to face. Instead she chooses to love him from afar, and plays elaborate games with him to let him know her feelings without discovering who she is. Their relationship is genuinely romantic and funny and sweet without being sappy. This love story is one of the best I’ve ever seen, and it gave me that warm, fuzzy feeling inside that made me wish I were in love too.
The cast of this movie display superb acting skills. Audrey Tautou absolutely shines in her portrayal of the mischievous and charming Amélie with her expressive eyes and infectious smile. There’s no doubt Tautou has serious talent. However the acting and storyline aren’t the only things that make this film great. The cinematography is excellent and the music delightful. The movie also takes us to various beautiful locations around Paris. Amélie is truly an art film.
To be fair, this movie contains scenes that aren’t commonly seen by us Asians, who are (arguably) more conservative. The film features topless women and a sex shop and a hilarious example of why “banging” is a term for sex =D Nudity isn’t taboo in Europe, so a certain degree of open-mindedness is required on our part. But I’m sure that’s not a problem, especially for the guys who’d take this as an extra incentive to watch Amélie =P
I cannot stress how glad I am that I found this gem of a movie. After an overdose of American films, Amélie is a breath of fresh air. The multi-million dollar budgets, explosive action, dazzling special effects, predictable, recycled storylines and disproportionately beautiful people that are a Hollywood staple are not present in this film. Hearing the characters speak in a language I didn’t understand and having to rely fully on subtitles was strange, but only at first. Once I got caught up in the story, I completely forgot I was even watching a French film. All in all, this is one of the best films I’ve seen.
The tagline for this film is “She’ll change your life”. Watch Amélie, and trust me, she will.
P/s: If anyone is interested in watching this movie but can’t find a copy, let me know and I’ll lend mine to you =)
8 comments:
I can play the theme song on piano =D Boast boast boast...But yes, a good watch and has nice artistic value as a film. She has a creepy look about her sometimes though...
And no, I didn't watch it for the naked people =P
Why does ppl with tragic past becomes a loner? That are making it such a cliche.
i watched amelie 2-3 years ago, and it was one of my fave movies then, and it still is! i love love love that movie! i am going to have to watch it again :) it seems that we have similar taste in movies, so i'm going to recommend you to watch 'frida', which is my all time fave movie =D
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