Amélie

AMÉLIE (MOVIE)
UGC

Original release: April 25th, 2001
Running time: 122 minutes

Country of origin: France
Original language: French with English subtitles

Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Writers: Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Guillaume Laurant
Composer: Yann Tiersen

Cast: Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz, Rufus, Lorella Cravotta, Serge Merlin

It’s hard to believe that over ten years have passed. So much in the world has changed in that time. I’ve grown taller, greyer and my belt size has leapt forward a couple of inches, but for all those changes there also many things that have stayed the same. I still enjoy marshmallows in my hot chocolate with a squirt of whipped cream – which probably explains the belt size – and I still love Amélie.

I remember seeing it when it was first released and falling in love with it, and upon each viewing since then, I’ve loved it more and more. It’s hard not to, everything about it makes it a perfect and timeless film and you can rely on it to always cheer you up when you’ve got a case of the deep blues.

The story is as charming as it as heart-warming. Amélie (Audrey Tautou) works as a waitress in a café, she’s shy but she enjoys helping others. After seeing the look of happiness on an old man’s face when she returns a collection of his childhood toys to him, she decides to look for more good deeds to do. Among these deeds are finding a boyfriend for her colleague Georgette (Isabelle Nanty), walking a blind man across the street and persuading her father to fulfil his dream and travel the world.

When she starts to notice Nino (Mathieu Kassovitz), a mysterious and handsome young man who collects discarded photos from a photo booth, Amélie realises she must help him too after he loses his photo album. This of course sets off a new chain of events in her heart, one that will eventually lead to love for the shy and quiet waitress.

Something which ties this film so close to my heart is of course the beautiful score composed by Yann Tiersen whose piano pieces bring something special and unique to the story. His music flows and it evokes the same free-spiritedness that Amélie herself has, but there’s also a loneliness and sadness that they both share.

Amélie is exquisitely shot and its views of Paris make the city look even more romantic and beautiful than usual with its evening glow and soft golden colours. As Amélie pursues Nino across Paris, one of my favourite scenes takes place with the majestic cathedral of Sacré Coeur in the background. Amélie sets Nino a task to follow the blue arrows, eventually unravelling the mystery of his photo obsession and uniting the pair who are so perfect for each other, bringing the story to a perfect close.

No matter how much time passes, twenty-five, fifty or even a hundred years, Amélie will still be igniting hearts and bringing smiles to the faces of those who search for meaning and love, as well as those who find it.

Patrick Samuel

The founder of Static Mass Emporium and one of its Editors in Chief is an emerging artist with a philosophy degree, working primarily with pastels and graphite pencils, but he also enjoys experimenting with water colours, acrylics, glass and oil paints.

Being on the autistic spectrum with Asperger’s Syndrome, he is stimulated by bold, contrasting colours, intricate details, multiple textures, and varying shades of light and dark. Patrick's work extends to sound and video, and when not drawing or painting, he can be found working on projects he shares online with his followers.

Patrick returned to drawing and painting after a prolonged break in December 2016 as part of his daily art therapy, and is now making the transition to being a full-time artist. As a spokesperson for autism awareness, he also gives talks and presentations on the benefits of creative therapy.

Static Mass is where he lives his passion for film and writing about it. A fan of film classics, documentaries and science fiction, Patrick prefers films with an impeccable way of storytelling that reflect on the human condition.

Patrick Samuel ¦ Asperger Artist

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