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.