If you’re looking for a film to brighten your day, If you’re looking for a film to brighten your day, Amélie is just the ticket. Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and released in 2001, it’s a modern day classic that is wonderfully whimsical without being too twee.
Audrey Tautou stars as “Amélie Poulain,” a young French woman whose peculiar childhood turned her into an extreme introvert. When she spontaneously does a good deed for a stranger, she discovers the joys of helping others and devotes her life to secretly doing so. However, when she becomes quite taken with one of the strangers she assists, she finds that anonymity has its drawbacks.
Jeunet creates a beautiful world for Amélie to live in, filled with sumptuous colors and off-kilter charm. With the help of screenwriter Guillaume Laurant, he uses all his wit and warmth to take the audience on a journey that feels both brilliantly fantastical and gut-wrenchingly real.
Of course, the film would not be what it is without Tautou. She is a luminous screen presence, all doe-eyes and quirky grace, and she tells Amélie’s story with such simple honesty that it’s impossible not to be completely immersed in her life. What’s more, she’s surrounded by a lovely cast of supporting characters, each one a delightful addition to the world of the film.
Overall, Amélie is the macaron of films: light and sweet, but with just the right amount of crispness and subtle elegance. It’s an absolute joy to watch, and it will warm the heart of even the most hardened cynic.
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