Amelie

First of all, let me start by saying that it's a french romance film.
What could possibly be more romantic than that?

Just 8 minutes into the movie and I had decided that I loved it.

It's set in the Montmatre region of Paris and it's about this girl named Amelie. She's an odd little girl with weird quirks. She grows up being homeschooled because her father misdiagnosed her with a heart condition and deemed her unfit to attend school. Isolated and without friends, she relies on her imagination to keep her occupied.

Years later, she's a waitress. She's still as introverted as before and has kept her quirks with her up till her adulthood. Now at 23 years old, she lives alone and has little interaction with people. One day, she discovers a hidden pencil box in her apartment and it's filled with childhood trinkets. She decides to find the owner and return it to him. If he reacts happily, she will start doing more kind deeds.

The owner is more than happy when he receives the pencil box anonymously. And so she goes on to help others. It is through this that she slowly starts to make friends. One day, she comes across a man searching for old photos underneath a photobooth. He leaves behind an album of old photos and she picks it up and brings it home. Without realising it, she slowly begins to fall for this man. But instead of telling him, she plays games to win his affections.

With the help of her friend, she eventually realises that she needs to change and the two fall in love and end up together.

What I love about this movie:

This movie is essentially a fairytale, which is why I love it so much. Boy meets girl, they fall in love and then *boom* happy ending. Cliche storyline but the director does it in a whimsical and awesome way. Even the way it's shot. It's a very colourful movie, like being inside a kaleidoscope. I believe it's supposed to represent Amelie's mind and her childlike ways.

I also love how the characters are introduced. The narrator will start off with their name first and then rattle off about some odd traits of theirs. It's an interesting way of getting to know the characters because you can tell what kind of people they're like from the things they do. And also because it reminds you that everyone is different in their own unique way.

Personally, I could relate to this movie because I feel like I'm shy and quiet and on a lot of days I just don't feel like interacting with the world. Sometimes I just want to shut myself away from the world. Amelie is an introvert and I can understand her very well on that front. But in order to get what she wants, she had to change. Something to learn I guess.

Favourite Quotes:

"If Amelie chooses to live in a dream…and remain an introverted young woman…she has an absolute right to mess up her own life!"

"At barely 23, Amélie Poulain let her young, tired body merge with the ebb and flow of universal woe."

"A woman without love wilts like a flower without sun."

Favourite scene:

I love the ending.
Amelie and her love finally end up together.
And everyone's lives sort of just fall into place.

Perfect.

What I learnt about love:

Sometimes you have to be brave to get what you want.
Don't ever let go of your idiosyncrasies, they might be the reason someone falls for you.

Images from Leave me the White