Winter break is now in full swing and I plan to be watching a bunch of new movies. Out of the list of films I am currently trying to get through, Amèlie was one of the films I was looking forward to the most. I had been hearing nothing but good things about it for quite a long time, so after watching Nebraska and Trainspotting earlier today, I finally took the trip to France.
The film centers around the early life of Amèlie, a kind and offbeat but mostly introverted young woman who works as a waitress and seems more interested with the idea of love than actually trying to find it for herself. She really is obsessed with the subject, whether it is evidenced from attempting to figure out who in the neighborhood is currently having an orgasm, or manipulating her coworkers to "accidentally" run into each other and then proceed to have sex. The only thing is, when a handsome individual just happens to misplace a treasured book of photos, Amèlie must learn to let go of her major introversion and take risks to allow this new stranger into her life.
The editing and the cinematography are certainly the most interesting aspects of this film. The colors coordinate nicely, the lighting is on point, and pretty much every single detail is pleasing to the eye of the viewer. With regards to the editing, it was executed perfectly to match the quirky tone of the story and provide for an upbeat and pleasurable experience. Another thing I should add is that even though this film is quirky in its own right, it does not try too hard to achieve this factor of being "different", unlike other films such as Juno. You are not beaten over the head with the fact that Amèlie is a curious person, because the pacing and characterization do their jobs sufficiently enough that everything comes together nicely without being exhausting or overbearing. This film does not give the impression of having a huge ego, which was refreshing to see and is often the reason why most foreign, independent, or non-blockbuster films are usually critically acclaimed. (I said "usually"; of course there are exceptions). The movie does not try to be a big, grand reinvention of cinema, which makes it all the more enjoyable and helps it to really come together as an interesting piece of art. This was a charming little film and definitely one I would see again.
Overall rating: 10/10
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