Amélie: A Journey of Unconventional Happiness

Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain (The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain), or more affectionately known as Amélie, is a French film that spotlights a shy, Parisian waitress that finds delight in seemingly insignificant things such as dipping her hands in grain at the corner market, watching the reactions of people behind her during a film at the movie theater, and skipping stones on the Saint-Martin Canal. Amélie expresses this when she exclaims, “I like to look for things no one else catches.” In the first part of the film, Amélie has an epiphany that provides her with a sense of meaning. Despite her introvertedness, she is determined to help others achieve happiness in the most unpredictable, wonderful ways. Furthermore, she creates a

She is a magician, conjuring up tiny miracles to change the lives of the lucky few around her. For example, she pairs together two very love-sick people in the café she works in using carefully calculated maneuvers. However, Amélie does not attempt to perform any miracles to spark up her own mundane life. She lets herself indulge in things that provide temporary bliss, utilizing her freedom to do as she pleases. Amélie does indeed revel in little pleasures, but pleasures “that, in the end, engage with nothing.” (Frédéric Bonnaud) This is evident in the first of two very vital stills within the film, shown above. In the image, found near the beginning of the movie, Amélie is shown with an excited expression as she is engaging in sex with an unnamed man. She is looking toward the camera with raised eyebrows and a complacent smile on her face, clearly the focal point of the still. The light source is coming from the right and makes the scene look more angular, contributing to an overall electric feeling. Despite the buzzed appearance of the still, its significance is shattered as the preceding scenes focus on the rest of the things that Amélie enjoys, such as cracking the hard shell of creme bruleé with a