j'adore

Amelie reminds me how much I love french, and films with subtitles, and accordions, and, most of all,  photobooths.  The first time I saw it, I was huddled into a cavernous, vintage high-school theatre, with my friend Dan, in the dark of night, in Trois-Pistoles, Quebec.  There were no English subtitles that night, as we were learning French and speaking it toujours.  Though I didn't catch all the subtleties of the plot,  I did fall madly for the juicy richness of the colour, the spaces and the silences, the beauty in the mundane, and the hopeful optimism of the titular character (and let's not forget the bestest, chastest kissing scene on film to date!).  Amelie remains my favourite film, and je pense, a subconscious influence on my  own aesthetic.

Note:  There are a couple of shady scenes in this film.  You have been warned!