Love Actually: A Jolt of Pure Optimism

When it comes to matters of the heart, Love Actually is the remedy. The film is a mosaic of love stories that are seamlessly sewn together to offer a jolt of pure optimism.

In just mere 10 seconds of the film’s opening scene, I can’t help but swoon over Hugh Grant’s voiceover:

 “Whenever I’m gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport.  General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere.” 

And get this: According to a Bustle.com article, the Heathrow airport footage is absolutely real. “A team of cameramen hung out at the airport for a week, and filmed real families, friends and lovers reuniting.” 

The main cast, of which there are over a dozen, each lead complex, interconnected love stories.

 The film is heartfelt and cheerful, but it’s not without the realistic qualms of passionless marriage, unrequited love and loneliness. These are all too familiar symptoms of heartache to which most everyone can relate, especially around the holidays.

Luckily each little love affair ends with at least a glimmer of hope.

While each story has a place in my heart (even Colin and his wacky quest to American to score hot girls), my favorite is the love triangle between characters Mark, Juliet and Peter.

Mark’s wasted heart will always love his best friend Peter’s wife, Juliet. One of the most romantic scenes in romcom history is when Mark, without agenda, finally declares his undying love for Juliet using cue cards and a boombox posing as carolers. “To me, you are perfect,” once climactic card reads.  

There are more feel good moments in the film than I can count on my fingers. From the moment little Sam realizes little Joanne knew his name all along to the moment the Prime Minister realizes he’s just one door away from his love, Natalie. Pieced together, this 1.5-hour of romance and comedy reminds us that, although there will be heartache, it's better to focus on the good, hopeful love all around us. 

Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain: More Than Just a Film

If ever someone asks: “Who would play you in the movie about your life?”, my natural response is: Audrey Tatou a.k.a. Amélie Poulain. 

Although she is simply a figment of some genius filmmaker (Jean-Pierre Jeunet)’s imagination, she is a very real and relatable personification of my own subjective identity. In many ways, it is as though this is a film where I star in a parallel universe. Her awe-filled eyes glimmer with mischief and her innocent smile paves the way for impending curiosity. Her iconic hairstyle is more quaint than chic, which actually helps define her spontaneous, charming personality.

Besides Amélie herself, I am drawn into the enchanting world of Montmartre as if I belong there. It does not hurt that the film is in French, which is alluring and romantic in itself. I credit this sense of belonging to the director’s creative storytelling methods, especially the unusual cinematic perspectives. He takes the life of an ordinary girl and shows us just how unordinary her life can be. He makes you believe that anyone’s life can be a fairytale, depending on how you view it. There is an element of surrealism and magic -- magical realism, which makes the tale borderline fantasy, but still very grounded in reality. The storytelling focuses on the simplest, quirkiest, non-essential things that most people tend to overlook, which actually helps me as a viewer feel even more connected to the characters and their world. My biggest joys in life tend to come from the smallest things, so inevitably a film highlighting so many small things will give me immense joy.

Amélie is a film that warms my heart and quickens my heartbeats at the same time, as any good romantic comedy should. Amélie’s spontaneity keeps me wondering what new stratagem she has up her sleeve and how it will play out. I can jump into Amélie’s world anytime and continue to discover something new. Let’s not forget the playful accordion soundtrack, which adds to the whimsy and makes me want to sway and twirl through the kitchen.

There is no doubt as to why this film means so much to me: Amélie reminds me of who I want to be and inspires me to be that person. She finds simple ways to change peoples’ lives onscreen and off.

An ode to something that I cannot name, but can try to describe

Vicious and frightening…more like tender and comforting. When his ancestors ruled this Earth, he may have had an easier time living up to his name. But growing up a wee bit under-developed, it is more than likely he always had issues with body image. In fact, two inches in height is quite a variance from average for his kind. It is unfortunate for him, because his monstrous predecessors had no evolutionary contribution in his modern development. A man in China decided his fate, pulling one lever after another, watching boiling blue plastic trickle into a mold. When he finally emerged, upright and frozen, he was no longer the fearsome creature one recalls when hearing his name. In fact, hundreds, if not thousands, of his clones were created after him. Red. Yellow. Orange. Green. Blue.

He balances upon his hind legs, arms too short to have much visual impact. Yet, his stance suggests terror, or perhaps a puppy begging for treats. His head is shaped like a hammer, a hammer that could not even do the job at hand. His thick tail may be his only redeeming feature, thrashing about…if it were not also immovable. The softness of his body reminds one of an eraser, and appropriately so. His kind are always known for being erased, wiped out…extinct.

Tiny creature adorning my office space, you bring joy to me every day. I anxiously look at you in hopes of adding a bright blue sparkle to my dreary day. As you lay in my palm, I am reminded that everything, no matter how big or small, is transient. You make it acceptable to hold onto one’s childhood, because you also represent fear. The fear of growing up.

Can You Guess this Object I've Described Without Mentioning its Name?

Secured in its black rectangular home, it hangs vertically and static on an empty white wall. It’s a little worn and contains a crease in the center, evidence of having been folded at one time in its history. It’s thin and cheap. Its black rectangular home contains a translucent cover, however, which irons out the sheet to near perfection. The black trimmings add to its length and width. This small piece of memento is recognizable to everyone.

The colors have a vintage feel to them…as if it’s gone through Instagram’s “Mayfair” filter, complete with a sunset in the background. There are two large French postage marks…created to look like a giant stamp ready to ship something giant like this.

The focal feature of this object draws unforgettable memories of the city of love, Paris. It reminds me of the time two friends and I were so lucky to be in the presence of this magnificent, world-renowned hundred year old piece of architecture masterpiece. I still remember the scorching Parisian summer sun beating down on us as we stood near one of its four legs. We marveled as the three-tiered iron structure towered over us at just over 1,000 feet tall. Tiny people waved at us from its tip.

It’s amazing how such a colossal monument can be captured is a 16X20 rectangular piece of paper. Now, it hangs as both a piece of beauty and a cherished memory in my room.