Amélie (2001)
After the overly self-indulgent Babylon, I could use bit of a break from Hollywood. Something very French was just what I needed. It is one of those movies I immensely enjoyed, but I don’t really know why exactly.
The look of this film is nothing but captivating and gorgeous. I though Wes Anderson movies looked good, but this is better. The whole atmosphere is charming, childish and joyful. Amélie’s acts of anonymous hidden kindness, while she forgets to be kind to herself, makes you happy and sad simultaneously. Mostly happy though, because this film just reeks of kindness - but without ever succumbing to the downsides of “feel good” movies. It never becomes too much. There is always a balance in how the story unfolds.
With these kinds of movies, I mostly give into whatever associations that pop up watching it. There are similarities to Kieslowski with how it explores how random chance encounters can unfold, but I was mainly reminded of a trip to Paris I did back in 2000, which must have been around the time this movie was filmed. I don’t think the city looked as good in reality as it does here, but there is something magical about that Parisian glow and atmosphere that is hard to beat.
Rating: 4