Amelie

Jean-Pierre Jeunet's films have driven me nuts. In this past he's co-directed a couple of feature films that have received hearty accolades from film afficionados. Delicatessen and The City of Lost Children were both revered films within critic circles but were ultimately passed on by audiences. I've seen them both and barely managed to sit through them. There was something about the combination of cinematography technique and morbid storylines that made these viewing experiences nearly unbearable. I realize those film's artistry and respect their wonderful set design and unique visual style but ended up hating both films.

Amelie, on the other hand, is quite different. While it features some of the same style of color enriching as Jeunet's previous efforts, what made Amelie different was the endearing lead character. Amelie is a spunky, attractive main character with lovable traits. Her life changes forever when she decides to find the owner of a small box hidden behind wall tiles, becoming a person who has devoted herself to changing other people's lives... for better or worse. Often humorous and sometimes unbelievably cute, Amelie's actions more than once put a smile on your face.

Overall it's a gently told story, with Jeunet's furious bursts of editing rarely used but to great effect. Amelie's meandering imagination provide ample opportunity to explore subplots and deviances from the usual romantic game of chess usually protrayed in Hollywood films. And the supporting cast are unique enough to provide interesting moments even between the interactions of the main characters. At times the film delves deeply into absurdity but instead of registering as unintelligible, these moments are instead quite funny.

Amelie is a fine French film that deserves a larger audience than it will recieve. I can understand why some critics are calling it one of the best films of the year, but I'll definitely fall short of such high praise. It's entertaining and life-affirming. It's engaging quirkiness will be supassed by few films this year. It's spunky, good fun.

On a scale of 1 to 10 boxes full of joy : 7