Amelie

Amelie is a girl who has been isolated during childhood with her rather eccentric parents. Te death of her mother in a freak accident and the reclusion of her father force her to amuse herself by retreating to her own imagination. She grows and becomes a waitress. She leads a simple and single life. While she has not found satisfaction in a romantic relationship herself, she imagines things like counting how many people are having orgasms in a given moment. Soon, however, Amelie discovers a mission to pursue, namely returning a box of childhood nick-knacks that she found in her apartment to its rightful owner and enjoy his sentiments as he receives it. In the process she gets involved in multiple people's lives and seeks to improve their situation. The didacticism plays in, however, when the "Glass Man" calls her to question as to why she helps others but cannot come to help herself.

Amelie is a masterpiece at the combination of cinematic elements. The pacing is quick and light, and the camera (if fixed on anything for a long period of time) is always on some path of smooth motion changing the frames and manipulating meaning and rhythm. The colors throughout the film are bright and semi-saturated. Amelie can often be seen in red, a color that draws her to the forefront of every scene despite her unsociable personality. Each character is dressed rather ornately in the same color scheme and sometimes even pattern as the place they reside in or or often seen. The fantasy of the story is mostly due to the eccentricity of the characters and the juxtaposition of situations that seem especially strange to us as Americans. Amelie also utilizes the cinematographic effects of sound masterfully. The entire credits scene centers around fun sounds that Amelie makes in an enjoyably childish manner complemented by vibrant reds and greens. Throughout the film we hear what her acute ear does as well, that is predictive and detailed observations. Her silence and smiles contribute to the idea of us appreciating this view of Paris through Amelie's lens. 

As a very imaginative cinematographic tale, Amelie portraying what Brigette Roullet calls a "fantasized and phantasmagoric Paris". The film has won praise from crowd and critic alike from around the world as a cinematic masterpiece. Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet's approach to and execution of the film are indicative of contemporary French cinema. While some directors continue to "re-articulate the the cinematic heritage of the New Wave and Poetic Realism", Jeunet has shown us the result of a new generation of French cinema that finds its roots in the formative influences from Hollywood on these directors infused with French culture and narrative tradition.