The pursuit of happiness

On a cool Saturday evening, a mother, standing six inches away from her favorite kitchen counter, whips up a frothy hot chocolate for her family. Her daughter, slouching comfortably on a sofa bed, feels excited as she discovers a parallelism between her and the heroine of the movie she is watching. That daughter is me and the heroine goes by the name of Amelie.

In the film Amelie from Montmartre, life is examined through the eyes of our heroine, the idiosyncratic Amelie Poulain. Like a true social funk, she takes a step backward and eyes the whimsical minutiae of life. She gives us a tour around beautiful Paris, armed with her surreal stories. Her obsession for details is tested as she pries into the different lives of her neighbors, customers and contemporaries, giving us a backdoor view of Parisian life.

Along Amelie’s fantastic journey, she lets us witness her discovery of an unforgivable flaw in this city; she sees frowns instead of laughter. Fortunately, she gets hold of her senses just in time to realize something can be done. Amelie, then, expends a remarkable amount of energy in spreading love and happiness to the grimacing faces around her.

However this is simply not enough to lift her spirits. While everyone around her is smiling, she is not. But not long enough, thanks to her painter-neighbor who knocks some sense into her, Amelie, too, musters enough courage to pursue her own happiness.

Everything started from an accidental discovery of a lost treasure: A box of toys. Resolving to return the treasure box to its rightful owner, Amelie sets out to find the guy. Unknown to her, this started the change in her destiny.

Amelie, after seeing how the owner, now an old man, broke into tears as he rejoiced over the recaptured memories the box brings, decided to scatter the seeds of joy and happiness to others. Hence, she draws up a scheme to get her persnickety father to fulfill his lifelong dream of traveling.

 Of course, Amelie’s destiny wouldn’t be as fabulous as the film’s original title had she not met the Adonis that would turn her heart upside down. While the movie revolves around Amelie and her relationship with the people around her, the love story with her beau is something one should not miss. It was love at first sight, at least on her part. Too bad, pretty boy didn’t share the same sentiment, and the fragile Amelie is crushed.

Fortunately, she develops enough wit, courage and determination to win his heart over.

Like Amelie, I see sorrow and distress in the eyes of people around me. Like her, I try to infect others with happiness. Sometimes, though, I am dumbfounded and find myself as lost she is. Perhaps, like Amelie, I am looking for my own happiness and, maybe, love.

Amelie from Montmartre may be dismissed as cheesy for some since the story has overtones of grandiosity. Of course, it would help a lot if the film’s original French title was used, Le Fabuleux Destin D’Amelie Poulain ( The Fabulous Destiny of Amelie Poulain) instead of the international truncated title Amelie from Montmartre, which obscures the fantastic and romantic elements in the movie.

The plot is simple, but director Jean-Pierre Jeunet — a gifted man famous for pouring outlandish and idealized flavors in his movie — shows a knack for using artistic effects which keeps glued to the quirky fairy-tale-like fantasy.

Casting the enchanting imp-like Audrey Tautou for the role is a sure winner. Her performance is so precise I can’t help but wonder whether the character Amelie was written specifically for her. The other cast members are brilliant. Mathieu Kassovitz’s boy-next-door aura is irresistible, making me giggle like a teenage girl.

The film moved me, despite its fantastic theme. The movie’s beauty is something that should be experienced.