Amélie

Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain. That is the original name of the romantic comedy Amélie which is one of the biggest hits of the french film industry. In all the world, it reached important places in the cinema, even in France, it did what almost any movie can't do, it overthrew the Hollywood movies, and that is one thing to say, but there is much more that makes Amélie a great movie.


What makes this movie so good? First of all, the beginning of the movie catches your attention immediately with the little Amélie and the narrator telling her story. This is basic for understanding her development and her personality, she is a very shy girl with a mind full of imagination who enjoys the simple things in life. But she is not the only character in the story, every character in the film that coexist with her is full of a witty extravagance which makes them very complex but at the same time very simple. Solitude is the general ingredient for every character, but each one develops a series of wonderful characteristics, from the loneliness of her father, a good man in desperate need of a push to face the world after the death of his wife to the brief love story of hipocondriac Georgette with obsesive Joseph.


But the movie is not about the characteristics of the characters, it´s about Amelie´s positive and unselfish actions. Amelie is all about love to other people, each person is a different challenge and she is more than willing to help. It can be by writing a love letter from a dead husband to an ever waiting wife, confusing the routine of a rude boss in other to defend a good and loyal employee, showing a world full of life to an old man afraid to go outside of his own apartment and even taking pictures of a  traveling garden dwarf in order to give the courage to her father to go one with his life. But even with her good actions Amelie is the one who truly needs the help to find that special someone, but it is hard for her because in spite of having the courage to help other she doesn't have the courage to help herself, thank god one of her friends is willing to return the favor and help her find the love of her life.


Being Amelie the principal element of the movie, let us not forget the other elements that make this an amazing movie: location, photography, atmosphere and music combine in order to create the perfect scenario. Paris captures the romantic feel to the movie, with is old streets and seductive language. The amazing use of light and shadow in the photography gives life to every scene. The joyful atmosphere that surrounds every scene even if it's a sad one, it will have a strange happy feel that marks every moment of this film. The music is a key element, every song created by Yann Tiersen has it's own life and story and is not the kind of music that only works when you see the movie, it's a soundtrack that you can carry anywhere and it will create a good feeling in you.


You can see every blockbuster that is in the cinema right know, but I guarantee the none of them has the genious and the perfect combination of elements that Amelie posses. This is not a film of a generation, it's a film for all generations, it's the proof that a good movie can use and intelligent and funny language to tell a simple story, the story of a girl that still believes in love and in helping people, and also is a reminder to recall the good things in life, the simple things.