Amelie

The movie Amelie came off as a bit strange and a little different than what I am used too. Of course, I had never watched a french film before either so I expected it to be different. One thing that really through me for a loop was having to pay attention to subtitles. I felt like it was hard to catch some of the other details in the movie because I had to focus on that to know what was going on.

In 2002, Amelie was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography so its no surprise this movie fits with chapters about editing and cinematography. The film goes quickly through the childhood of elie before getting to the main story. Each shot in the movie focuses on the perspective of Amelie, showing her reactions to the events of everyday life. Most of the shots are either close ups or panning shots that switch your attention from her to what she is reacting too. The directors did a wonderful job making the movie flow together while still drawing your attention to the parts they wanted to emphasize.

The movie also had quite a few strange special effects that we normally wouldn't see here in the United States. Although most of these effects only happened when Amelie was reflecting on something, they included; her heart beating wildly in the beginning,  her melting to a puddle,  and the x-ray of the stolen key in her pocket. These effects definitely grabbed my attention and made me focus on them and their importance. They may have been a little over the top, but the movie is supposed to be quirky so it worked well.

One downfall of this movie is that it lasted so long. There was no rush to finish the movie and everything happened just like it was part of normal life. I found that towards the end of the movie I was hoping for Amelie and Nico to quit playing games and just meet already. That part was a little drug out for my liking. Although, the director may have made the movie so long to put emphasis on the joy Amelie found from doing the simple things in life.

Overall, I thought the movie was meant to show the simplicity of life. Maybe everything in life doesn't have to be over exaggerated or little mishaps don't have to be the end of the world. Amelie showed that even though situations may seem awful there can be some joy found in them. Another point I think that movie makes is how childhood effects a person when they grow up. Amelie grew up being home schooled and wasn't around people much. The director made this evident by beginning the movie with Amelie's childhood and then flashing back to present time where she is still shy but enjoys helping others.

This movie inspired me to want to pay it forward. It made me realize that you don't always need something in return and sometimes the best reward is just seeing the joy that you gave to others. The movie also taught the audience to not be too caught up helping others to miss the chances right in front of you.