This fine piece of French confection cleverly covers all of the facets of love, failure, intuition, and sex in such an original and energetic manner. While some of the scenes that display these themes are unexpected, they are all artistic and functional in their own intended ways. Amelie allows you to believe that each and every person has the ability to indefinitely impact so many, and that you never know which direction your life will turn, even within the short time-frame of only 48 hours.
Amelie is more than a movie; it is also a visual experience to behold. The flowing camera movements and varying angles add to create a visually stunning and artsy touch. Furthermore, the palette of digitally enhanced colors used, mostly full of shiny reds and glossy greens, make for an overall look that the eye cannot ignore, but only marinate in. (The reds and greens are not overly used to create the Christmassy look that one might expect; instead, they are balanced out with an occasional blue or yellow to fashion a colorful and pleasing picture.) This film’s five Academy Award nominations in 2001, which included the likes of "Best Art Direction" and "Best Cinematography", are all without a doubt warranted.
Acquaint yourself with this film, and allow it to paint its picture of a dreamy young woman who is both in love, and in the process of discovering herself. This may be a foreign work of art that you are unfamiliar with, but that does not mean that it does not deserve its observation and recognition just as much as any other picture in the gallery. (***1/2 out of ****)
Article comments
1 - Shark
Just for the record:
Amelie director Jean-Pierre Jeunet also made the hilarioius, surrealistic, and visually arresting "Delicatessen" back in the early 1990s.
I highly recommend it.
PS: nice review of a great film.
2 - Tan The Man
Somehow the "magic" of Amelie failed to hit me when I watched it when it came out. It also failed to hit the two other times I tried to watch it. Sux for me.
3 - Jones Violet
It failed to hit me as well. I ended up falling asleep both times I watched it. Too bad, though, because this review makes it sound really good.
4 - Chris Beaumont
I loved Amelie!
Jeunet has a great(almost) track record: Delicatessan, City of Lost Children, Alien: Resurrection, Amelie, and A Very Long Engagement. All are visually stunning, most are well written and acted.
5 - Triniman
Amelie hit the spot for me. She was also in Dirty Pretty Things, which I can recommend. She looked a lot different than she did in Amelie.