I'd heard the name, I'd seen the gifs, but nothing emotionally prepared me for this movie.
Amelie was released in 2001 and won many awards at film festivals. Let's see if we can't find out why.
Story/Dialogue: Amelie follows a protagonist of the same name through her home city as she interacts with the people in it. Known to be a dreamer, she tweaks the lives of those who are miserable to make them better.
Though, we all know that the kindest people are the ones who are reaching out for someone else to take notice. So who will take this dreamer's hand?
Amelie is a delightful character who reminds you of the brownies from old stories. They would clean your house so long as you treated them with kindness. Though they show her backstory of how she was exposed to so much death and pain, she faces it with a small smile and a can do attitude. Armed with her imagination and wit, it's impossible to not want the best for this well rounded young woman.
While each of the key players in this story get a small amount of time dedicated to them, you see how important it is as you see the community around Amelie change with her help.
While the story itself is immersive, some might find it difficult to keep track of everything. There are a lot of characters to pay attention to and every one of them is important to Amelie's development.
Cinematography: Did you know that Vincent Van Gogh used to eat yellow paint in the hopes that he'd be happy?
Amelie shows a lot more storytelling through visuals than any dialogue. The rich yellow filter in each scene makes you feel happier and take joy in the smaller details of the movie.
You'll notice that everything about this movie is soft. Soft lighting, soft speaking and soft camera movements. They make it easy for your eye to follow and indulge visually in this feast for the eyes.
During the character introductions, it feels as though Amelie had her hand on your back, guiding you quickly toward the other characters so as to introduce them, as you have many a name to remember.
One final note is the blending of fantasy and reality. While the VFX are not fantastic, they reflect what's in Amelie's head well. Those moments where you wish you could be swallowed up by the ground or turn to water because you're so embarrassed. The suicidal fish was fantastically done, even though you know it's fake, it doesn't destroy your suspension of disbelief.
Audio: The musical score that accompanies Amelie throughout her journey is reflective of the character. Sweet and mischievous. It times well with her walking and the woosh sounds when you're introduced to new characters are delightful. While the tracks weren't memorable, they reflected their characters well.
Overall: Amelie is a feast for the eyes that takes you by the hand, sits you down and shows you how to look at life's little enjoyments. Steam coming off coffee of a morning, indistinct chatter at a cafe, hands going into grain, breaking the skin of pastry. All of these little things that people neglect to appreciate.
It's a movie that you either love or don't understand. You can't just like this movie. It's not exactly possible. Plus once you finish it, you feel satisfied, the same way you do once you finish a filling, home-cooked meal
To quote John Green, you fall in love with it the same way you fall asleep. Slowly, then all at once.
This movie warrants a Ravensmark. Reserved for only the best movies, books and comics.
Thus ends this review.
Please feel free to recommend new movies, comics and books and share your thoughts in the comments!
Special thanks to Hannah (readingfreak.tumblr.com) for this recommendation.
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