Amélie [2001]
"Life's funny. To a kid, time always drags. Suddenly you're fifty. All that's left of your childhood... fits in a rusty little box."
Infinitely charming, beautifully shot, absolutely adorable, and technically sound; Amélie tells the story of an introverted girl from an adjacent upbringing that discovers true happiness in bringing joy to others and unraveling the little mysteries of the very normal world around her. This is one that's been around awhile now, and deserves to be around awhile more. If you like love stories, you'll love Amélie. If you like fantastical adventures, you'll love Amélie. If you have any emotional capacity at all, you'll love Amélie.
This film is like Wes Anderson and Quentin Tarantino made a movie that was written by Tim Burton. There's 40 different plots going on all at the same time, almost every scene is filled to the brim with things to look at, every character is intricate and most are over the top, the score should be credited as an actor; and yet... it's never overwhelming or kitschy and never loses its charm.
I guarantee you'll fall in love with this film if you're not too caught up falling in love with Amélie, herself, first.
"My little Amélie, you don't have bones of glass. You can take life's knocks. If you let this chance pass, eventually, your heart will become as dry and brittle as my skeleton."
