Amélie

Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001, France/Germany, Colour, 122 mins, Certificate: 15

Love does not fit into words in its entirety no matter the language. You cannot talk about love to get it. You can only… love.

But then a Frenchman, famous for his masterful collaborations in (very) imaginative and (very) dark humor with Marc Caro (“Delicatessen”), as well as his first solo endeavour, which dared to be not only an “Alien” sequel, aptly titled “Alien Resurrection”, but also in English, changed everything. And communicated love more fully. Not with words but with dancing – to the beat of Yann Tiersen’s heart-warming, timeless tunes – images.

“Amélie” is the film that captured so literally, yet so vividly the feeling of melting out of affection for another human, won 2 BAFTAS (for Best Original Screenplay and Best Production Design) and was nominated for another 7, plus 5 Oscars (where, in today’s world, could have given the unexpectedly but deservedly awards’ record breaking “Parasite”, a run for its money).

It is an extraordinary cinematic creature that became a worldwide phenomenon, a cult classic and the inspiration for a celebrated musical (which just wrapped on West End). It is the eye candy to end all eye candies due to its beating, inescapable heart, the ultimate Valentine’s day movie and the perfect ode to both love and the cinematic medium itself.

But wait! That’s not all. As a bonus treat we paired “Amélie” with another wordless, heartwarming, quirky love story: the award wining short film, “Flowers”, by Sabina Sattar, who will be there to introduce it to you!

Reviews:

“Movies have been in need of an enchantress – the supply has run dangerously low. Now we have one. Audrey Tautou is her name, and you’ll want to remember it. In the role of Amélie, a waitress in a Paris cafe, the twenty-three-year-old Tautou is utterly captivating. Ditto the movie. There’s magic in it.” Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

“A ravishing hybrid of hyperactive cartoon and magic realism, Amelie jumps from the screen like a pop-up storybook rendering other stories dull and flat by comparison.” Felicia Feaster, Creative Loafers

★★★★★ “Paris: city of light, city for lovers swept up by the air of romance. It’s the perfect setting for Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s wonderful Amélie, a film with a golden, glowing heart. This massive hit at the French box office is the very dictionary definition of ‘feel-good’ — its irresistible charms will dispel the heaviest clouds hanging over the head of the gloomiest misanthrope.” Alan Morrison, Empire

“It is so hard to make a nimble, charming comedy. So hard to get the tone right and find actors who embody charm instead of impersonating it. It takes so much confidence to dance on the tightrope of whimsy. “Amelie” takes those chances, and gets away with them.” Roger Ebert, rogerebert.com