AMÉLIE - IMAGE: Miramax
Amélie was
once a charming little foreign film that had you longing for a simple
life among long-faced Frogs who just wanted a little goddamn magic in
their lives. You were transfixed by the romp’s quiet protagonist, whose
cherry lips hung ever open with curiosity, her childlike mannerisms
charming everyone she met. Even if you stopped following the subtitles,
her porcelain skin danced against a palette of lime greens and
fire-engine reds onscreen. As of late, though, you’ve been picking
adorable little foreign films like Amélie to bits. You are so
wary of vapid style, so eager to dismiss anything visually stimulating
as the province of “hipsters,” that a film like Amélie feels
cloying and twee. You need not travel to Montmartre to find whimsical
characters with strange obsessions: That’s pretty much Portland. But
there’s still beauty and wisdom here if you look for it—just keep
reading those subtitles.
- Showing at: Academy Theater.
- Best paired with: Miller High Life.
- Also showing: Hecklevision: Showgirls (Hollywood Theatre. 9:30 pm Friday, July 20).
