Strive placing pure pleasure into phrases. The English language has loads of worthy adjectives and delightful metaphors however nothing fairly comes shut to really, completely capturing what it feels wish to be fully stuffed with happiness. To reverberate with delight. To drift on cloud 9. No, to adequately seize that feeling, you want extra than simply phrases. You want photos, you want sounds, you want story. You want… Amélie.

Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the 2001 fantasy romance not too long ago received a restricted version Blu-ray steelbook launch, and it felt like the right alternative to revisit a movie that has lengthy been one among my private favorites. I noticed Amélie in theaters when it was first launched and immediately grew to become obsessed. It had, and nonetheless has, an vitality, perspective, and voice all its personal. Within the years that adopted, I watched it typically.

However, it’s been numerous years since then and to be sincere, I hadn’t seen it once more shortly. Throughout that point, the world has modified. I’ve modified. And after I popped in Amélie this week it hit me in methods I by no means imagined. From the very first moments, the place the movie begins to speak about random acts of magnificence taking place concurrently throughout France, a rush of feelings started flooding by means of me. May it have been the second glass of wine I used to be having fun with? For certain. And but from the primary body of Amélie you already know you’re in for one thing particular. One thing that, in case you’ve already skilled it, is nearly extra thrilling as a result of you already know what you’re in for: a cinematic curler coaster trip of snickers, love, and elation.

For anybody who perhaps hasn’t seen the movie, Amélie follows the lifetime of an introverted lady (performed with a contagious, infectious sweetness by Audrey Tautou) who finds objective by serving to others through random acts of kindness. Amélie’s actions make everybody round her pleased, however she’s nonetheless unhappy, so she tries to make use of the identical ways on her crush, a person named Nico performed by Mathieu Kassovitz.

Amélie is a lot extra than simply that plot although. It’s a celebration of life. A reminder that the great you set on the planet can and can come again to you. As Amélie strikes by means of Jeunet’s vibrant, lush Paris, you may’t assist however smile the whole time. The movie is hilarious, candy, heartbreaking, and reaffirming, typically suddenly. Each single character is totally relatable however wholly distinctive and particular. Every line of dialogue or piece of data appears random but additionally completely correct and purposeful. Then, on prime of all that, Jeunet weaves in moments of fantasy enriching the world even additional. Work transfer, bedside figures communicate, and folks soften into the ground, all including a stage of surprise to the already beautiful world. You merely can’t watch Amélie and never really feel incredible. It captures so many hyper-specific however ultra-relatable slices of life whereas additionally constructing a world stuffed with magic and surprise.

These emotions coursed by means of me for the whole rewatched. I grinned, I laughed, I typically wiped away tears as moments I like and quoted rising up flickered by. Then, ultimately, when Jeunet actually amps issues up, I grew to become a blubbering mess. Most of that was as a result of the film does such a incredible job of creating you like everybody and the whole lot taking place on display in methods 99% of different motion pictures would by no means dream of. However a small half was additionally only a reflection of the world at present in comparison with virtually 25 years in the past. Issues are all the time tousled. Persons are all the time unhappy. However watching a film this pleased, this optimistic, this obsessive about the great thing about life made me take into consideration the great issues in my life greater than I often do, and that was a present.

Life is difficult, however it may be fairly lovely too. And that’s particularly the case in case you use a few of it to observe Amélie. It’s an ideal film. A celebration of all that’s attainable and good on the planet informed in a approach you’ve by no means seen earlier than and will by no means see once more. I beloved it earlier than however, rewatching it once more, I find it irresistible greater than I even remembered.

The brand new Amélie steelbook is out there right here.

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