“Amélie” ou “(Le Destin Fabuleux d'Amélie Poulain)” (Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001)

“Amélie” ou “(Le Destin Fabuleux d'Amélie Poulain)”

(Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001)

Jean-Pierre Jeunet creates the fantastic and whimsical story of the painfully shy Amélie Poulain in “Amélie” or “Le Destin Fabuleux d'Amélie Poulain“. “Le Destin“ excels because of its childlike story telling and the deeply unique character development. It also doesn’t hurt that we are taken on a journey around the beautiful Parisian neighborhood of Montmartre.

Amélie (Audrey Tautou, Coco Avant Chanel, The Da Vinci Code) is a timid waitress who works at Café Les 2 Moulins (The Two Windmills). She was misdiagnosed with a heart defect as a young girl resulting in her being home-schooled and it limited her from interacting with other children making her the introvert she is.

The story begins right after the announcement of the late Lady Diana of Wales’s tragic death. When Amélie hears the news being broadcasted she drops her perfume stopper, which results in a tile coming lose from the base of her bathroom floor revealing a small treasure that “only the discoverer of King Tut’s tomb would have known what she felt.”

Amélie decides to search for the owner of this hidden treasure and comes to the conclusion that if the owner of the treasure is pleased to have his valuables back, she will devote her life to the mission of making others happy.

 While trying to find the owner of the wonderful prize, we are introduced to a group of amusing, and exceptionally deep characters that Amélie makes life interesting for. Amélie meets The Glass Man or Raymond Dufayel (Serge Merlin), who paints Renoir’s Luncheon of the Boating Party, his bones are so fragile he cannot leave his apartment for risk of injuring himself, Monsieur Collingon (Urbain Cancelier), a rude grocery owner who mean-spiritedly names his impish employee, Lucien (Jamel Debbouze), “Le Cretin”, and the elusive Nino Quincampoix (Mathieu Kassovitz), a collector of scrapped photo booth strips, carnival worker, and sex shop clerk. Along the way, we also meet the eclectics that frequent the Café Les 2 Moulins (a hypochondriac, a rejected lover and a failed writer). 

“Amélie” is a charming yet mysterious story with youthful wonder about it. We are taken on elaborate journeys with brief stops for an inquisitive moment. Amélie orchestrates intricate meet-ups, creates her own distinct form of non-verbal communication, and even steals a gnome all for her cause of bringing others joy. Amélie’s imagination knows no bounds.

Amélie takes us on an exciting ride around Montmartre and shows us sights that normally a typical tourist wouldn’t get to see while visiting Paris. We see the beautiful Sacre Cœur Basilica, the raunchy Pigalle (Paris’s red-light district), and even the Café Les 2 Moulins are iconic to the picturesque Montmartre area.

“Amélie” reminds us to revel in the small joys of life. Taking time to skip stones, enjoying the texture of grain in her hand, or even taking a moment to look back at the audience’s face while at the cinema, Amélie warms our hearts.

With a rich story, fun characters, and a charming setting, it becomes clear that this is a story that will continue to delight fellow Francophiles and travelers alike. It’s a film that has potential to cross international borders to be enjoyed by anyone. “Amélie” does more than take us on a journey around Montmartre, it takes us on a journey within ourselves helping us find our own inner charm.