AMÉLIE (Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain) (2001) - ♦♦♦♦♦

Directed by - Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Written by - Guillame Laurant, Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Starring - Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz

"Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Amélie is understandably one of the most beloved pieces of arthouse cinema, because of its timeless and universal appeal as well as its seemingly endless imagination. 

The story revolves around the angelic titular character, a shy and introverted girl who entertains herself by affecting the lives of the people around her with her good natured and kind hearted deeds or pranks, for which she never openly claims credits. This practice of hers, however, eventually lead her on a path to meeting her own knight in shining armour. 

From the beginning, it is very clear that Amélie is one of the most charming female characters of cinema, because she is a fascinating embodiment of childlike female innocence, somewhat out of place in the real world. This contrast to, alienation from and perspective of the outside world makes her all the more appealing, as she is interpreted by the lovely Audrey Tautou, whose puppy eyed look and timid smile has certainly entered cinematic iconicity. 

Aside from the wonderful and intelligent screenplay, that manages to make its intricate structure seem easily understandable and entertaining, the beauty of Amélie also lies in the beauty of the visuals. The fluid and ambitious camera movements, and the wide variety of colour schemes not only evoke a fairytale like atmosphere, but also allow us to see the world through the eyes of the titular character. 

An extremely creative approach to cinematic sentimentality, punctuated by a memorable original score by Yann Tiersen, Amélie is simply delightful and entertaining from start to finish as well as - perhaps - even inspiring.

Comedy, France/Germany