Amelie

I know, I know. I'm about 5 years too late on this movie. But that makes it no less reviewable. Maybe there are others out there like me who missed it the first time, and then the next 25 times people were watching it in the college dorms. Maybe. Anyway, this was a real gem, as many already probably know. I was a little afraid to watch it at first, because of how hyped up it had been from friends. A story about the lives of ordinary people has been the setting for many a movie, but Amelie uses beautiful cinematography and images, and stellar acting, to art-up the seemingly mundane focus. The movie starts with back-story to explain how Amelie got where she is today (on the day that changed her whole life). One thing that I think is weird about Amelie as a character though, is that she grows up from someone who was starved of human contact, to be someone who avoids human contact. I would think that someone deprived of affection, attention, and all that other jazz would be absolutely desperate to seek that kind of connection as an adult (and probably would be seeking it in all the wrong places). But instead, Amelie isolates herself from other people. And they try to explain that to you in a way that it makes sense, but I had a hard time at the start buying into it. I soon realized, however, that I was going to have to buy in to move forward with the story. And it does eventually make sense. Even though she pursues the "album owner" (let's call him, to not spoil it) in a way that is secretive, avoidy, and beat around the bush-like, it's because she really does want human contact but she's afraid of it. All the characters she interacts with in the film are well imagined and interesting. For example, I loved the dude with the tape recorder in the café. And of course, I also loved "the glass man" - how could you not? I also really appreciated some of the creative story-telling techniques used in the movie. Like this: instead of developing a character over a long time by gradually revealing to you their innermost idiosyncrasies, they announce these facts upon the first view of the character. This is Amelie: she enjoys cracking crème brulee with a teaspoon, skipping stones, going for walks in the sunshine, and trying to guess how many people in Paris are having an orgasm at the same time. It's great to have that feeling of intimacy with a character as soon as you meet them. Anyway, to cut this ramble short, it was a lovely film, and comes highly recommended from me and countless others.