Irish Film Institute -AMÉLIE

AMÉLIE

Director: JEAN-PIERRE JEUNET

122 minutes| France-Germany| 2001| Subtitled| Colour| D-Cinema


Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s wonderfully quirky and irresistibly enchanting Amélie makes a welcome return to the big screen in a new digital restoration to celebrate its 10th anniversary. After a lonely childhood with a father who showed her little physical affection, the adult Amélie (an adorable Audrey Tautou) waitresses in a Montmartre café filled with eccentric staff and customers (including Jeunet regular Dominique Pinon). The accidental discovery of a boy’s treasure box in the wall of her bathroom prompts her to trace the owner, now a grandfather. On seeing the joy this brings him, Amélie becomes a guardian angel of sorts, devising elaborate and secret stratagems for bringing happiness to those around her.

In the process, she finds that there may be a chance at happiness for her too, thanks to the arrival of Nino (Mathieu Kassovitz). Jeunet’s Paris is probably the most fairytale-perfect depiction of the city ever committed to celluloid, and the film remains as heartwarming as ever. (Notes by Kevin Coyne.)

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