What better way to spend my birthday than to write about one of the most joyful movies I have ever seen?
Amélie is a joyous explosion, a candy coated love letter to life. From its surreal beginning until its dreamlike sigh of an ending, the movie celebrates a love of life and people that is rare, especially in this age of cynicism. It could easily fall into the trap of being overly sweet and come off as fake and cloying; however, Amélie weaves its magic well, partly due to the offbeat style of its director, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, and partly due to the addicting charisma of its star, Audrey Tautou.
The movie begins by telling of the early life of its young heroine, Amélie Poulain (Tautou). This sequence deserves to be seen unspoiled; I will say only that Amélie grows up a relatively lonely child who develops an active imagination. By the age of 22, Amélie has moved away from home and become a waitress at a small cafe in Montmartre. After finding something hidden in her apartment, Amélie unexpectedly helps a man and decides to dedicate her life to helping others.
Through her adventures, Amélie eventually finds a strange young man, Nino Quincampoix (Mathieu Kassovitz), who collects discarded photos from passport photo booths. She plays games with him from afar; she realizes she has fallen for him, but she is too shy to approach him. Amélie has helps many people throughout the movie -- will she be able to gather the courage to help herself?
What is immediately noticeable about Amélie is its amazing, thrilling visual style. For one, the camera itself seems to be full of energy. It swoops in and out, encircling Amélie and scanning the picaresque French land- and cityscape. And what it captures is beautiful, indeed -- the city sparkles with happiness and delight, and its residents are the kind of strange, wonderful people we all know on our best days.
The visuals also enhance the otherworldly atmosphere of the movie. For instance, when Amélie sees Nino in the cafe one day, she dissolves -- literally, she dissolves into a puddle of water. In another scene, when Amélie's heart races with excitement, the movie switches to an X-Ray view, and the audience can see Amélie's heart beat faster and faster. Strange touches like that fit in perfectly with the mood of the movie and always present something new and fascinating to watch onscreen.
But, of course, the movie would not succeed if its performances did not work. The cast of supporting characters all fit in perfectly. Serge Merlin is good as an old painter who becomes a mentor of sorts to Amélie. Rufus (this is seriously his stage name) is funny as Amélie's serious, withdrawn father, who learns to open up a bit due to his daughter's influence. Kassovitz plays a good, interesting man who is a worthy love interest for Amélie.
However, Tautou rightfully owns the movie -- this is the role that made her an international star (although she was already well known in France for her supporting role in Venus Beauty Institute). Tautou hits every note perfectly and embodies Amélie like very few people could. She approaches life loving every new day, with a grin on her face that suggests she has something wonderful planned and may break into hysterics at the sheer happiness of it. The way she carries herself, the way she interacts with others and the way she addresses the audience is absolutely perfect.
What I think really makes the movie work is the rare gift Tautou possesses -- the ability to make an audience's collective heart leap with rapture with but the slightest movement, look or gesture. There is something in her eyes that suggests the playful joy Amélie feels at every moment, something in the way she moves that suggests the confidence Amélie feels in her mission to help people and something in the way she smiles that could melt the heart of even the most horrible person. She is a special actress who has the opportunity to play a special role, and she nails it from the first moment she appears onscreen. I could imagine no other person playing Amélie.
Here is a great scene from the movie. In it, Amélie has just finished helping her first person and has decided to help others. She finds a blind man, helps him cross the street and paints a picture of words that has him seeing the city for the first time in years.
