Amélie

A couple of days ago, we watched the movie, Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain, or, Amélie Poulain's Fabulous Destiny. I think in America, they just called the movie Amélie. This film was extremely popular in France. It was also responsible for my two adult beginning students this year. The soundtrack was done by a French musician, Yann Tiersen. The violin is not extremely prominent on the soundtrack, but Thiersen is an accomplished violinist and uses violin extensively on many of his albums. I figured that I needed to see this film if it had so affected not one, but two people.

Before I go any further, let me put in a disclaimer: this is definitely a European film. Or, to put things a different way, in America, this film definitely would not have been rated G. Not even close. So, I do not endorse every aspect of the movie. Having said that, however, overall we enjoyed it a lot.

First, it was a chance to cuddle on the couch and relax. Something we maybe don't do enough. Also, it is set in Paris, so that gave us the chance to reminisce: "Remember when we used to go there? Remember when we used to to that?" All the while laughing because we don't regret leaving Paris one bit. The movie itself was quirky and fun, and the soundtrack WAS great. It was also a romance of sorts and I hope I don't spoil anything for anyone by saying that the girl gets the boy in the end.

When we were talking about the movie afterward, Thomas said that what he liked the most was the way it shows how a person's life, or their destiny, if you will, can be completely transformed by something they have no control over, and something that may seem entirely insignificant. I thought it was great that the film more or less says the same thing as the title of our blog. I was about somebody's "Fabulous Destiny." In other words, it was about someone's everyday life. Her job, her neighbors, her parents, her cat. As the story progresses, she goes from being a loner to being involved in the lives of those around her and, yes, she falls in love. Things that happen to people all the time. A fabulous destiny or, to put it another way, an adventure.