The Null Device

I went to the cinema to see a preview screening of Amélie, the latest film from Jean-Pierre Jeunet (the co-director of Delicatessen and The City of Lost Children, the latter of which is perhaps my favourite film of all time). It is the story of a shy, introverted young woman who is somewhat of a dreamer; I won't say much more as not to give too much away. It is indeed excellent; the visuals are very vivid and fantastic (as one would expect from Jeunet), and the film is full of quirky characters and great moments (and equally great asides), with some echoes of Jeunet's previous films showing through. Audrey Tautou is great as the lead, playing the part with verve, charm and warmth. I also recognised a number of actors from Jeunet's previous films in Amélie (for one, the guy who played the clones in TCoLC makes an appearance as the tape-recorder-wielding nutcase ex-boyfriend of one of Amélie's coworkers).

Unlike the earlier films, though, it is not set in a dark fairy-tale world, but in modern-day Paris, and it's more of a feel-good film. (One could even call it *cough* a romantic comedy *cough*, though it certainly doesn't follow the Hollywood/Working Title formula. Nora Ephron this ain't.)

Anyway, Amélie is very highly recommended. (If you're in Melbourne, it's showing at the Nova and Kino, and apparently goes on wider release on Boxing Day.)

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