2001: Year in Review

Jean-Pierre Jeunet's whimsical, gorgeously stylish ode to the lonelyhearted, the selflessly kind, and the lovelorn is just about the most pleasant experience anyone could ever hope to have watching a movie. Amelie Poulain is born to a school teacher with shattered nerves and a physician who never touches her; when he gives her a physical examination and her heart beats like a drum at the rare bit of contact, he deduces she has a heart defect. With no friends and an unfortunate pet goldfish, Amelie is forced to take refuge inside her imagination, taking pictures of bunny and teddy bear-shaped clouds with an Instamatic camera, and giving physical examinations to invisible animals. Flashing forward to August 1997, Audrey Tautou is the title character, a Montmartre waitress who lives alone and has a pretty unsuccessful love life (I dare you not to laugh at the look on Tautou's face during sex in an early montage). Her life changes drastically on the day Princess Diana is killed in a motor crash when pursued by paparazzi. By sheer coincidence, she uncovers a secret hole in the wall of her apartment, and discovers a hidden tin of childhood trinkets. She does some impressive investigative work and tracks down the original tenant of her apartment, returning the trinkets anonymously. When she sees how happy these symbols of memories past have made him, Amelie vows to dedicate herself to others' happiness. She plays matchmaker to a jealous stalker (Dominique Pinon) and one of her co-workers, and takes a blind man on a whirlwind tour of the neighborhood, describing the surroundings at every turn. But Amelie cannot seem to make herself happy, until a seemingly random event propels her toward meeting a stranger (Mathieu Kassovitz) who could be her one true love. This is, quite simply, one of the most purely delightful, warm, funny and just plain lovable movies ever made. Jean-Pierre Jeunet has, in the past, been possessed of a somewhat rustic vision, portraying the unique world of his films in deep browns, yellows and reds. Having previously worked with art director Mark Caro on such films as "Delicatessen" (1991) and "The City of Lost Children" (1995), Jeunet lost some of his luster with "Alien Resurrection" (1997). With this film, he is back to his remarkably visionary self. Bruno Delbonnel's camera whips and whirls and slides all over Paris, showing us every nook and cranny, dazzling us with every move. Jeunet even employs rather impressive special effects by Jean-Baptiste Bonetto and Noel Chainbaux, in order to take us further into the fantasy worlds of Amelie and Nino. Tautou is, herself, something of a special effect. The camera loves her, and she manages to create one of the most utterly adorable characters of all time; you want to hug her. This is a film about the ability to dream, the search for love, and the willingness to allow yourself to be loved. This film has no problem with that last one.

Christophe Gans' film is a gorgeous-looking French period epic by way of supernatural horror, fantasy, bodace-ripping romance, and over-the-top kung-fu action. The plot, which is deceptively complex, involves many French noblemen looking for a "beast" haunting the countryside. Blood and violence ensue. Long, but enjoyable for the most part, this is like nothing you've ever seen before (or, hopefully, again!).

Writer-director John Cameron Mitchell's self-proclaimed "post-punk neo-glam rock musical" is more visually alive, musically delightful, hilarious and, ultimately, profoundly moving than we could ever have anticipated. Mitchell stars as Hedwig, the leader of a would-be punk band called The Angry Inch (named for the aftermath of a botched surgery) which is touring the U.S. salad bar/family restaurant circuit via a franchise called Bilgewater's, stalking Hedwig's successful one-time protege Tommy Gnosis (Michael Pitt of Larry Clark's "Bully"). Hedwig is flanked, as always, by her manager and would-be conscience Phyllis Stein (Andrea Martin), without whom Hedwig might be just as lost as ever. Via flashbacks, we learn that Hedwig was born in Communist East Berlin and raised during the lead-up to the destruction of the Berlin Wall, that he was in fact once called Hansel, a "slip of a girly-boy" who met a big, black American GI named Luther and decided to have a sex-change in order to get married, that she was raised on music by the likes of David Bowie and Iggy Pop (among many others) before growing to so love their sound that she would try to make a living out of emulating or copying it. The tale of Hedwig's would-be rise and quick downfall is punctuated particularly by the introduction of Tommy Gnosis (Pitt), an uninspired and unoriginal "Jesus freak" turned rock musician who, somewhat ironically, steals Hedwig's songs and becomes an international superstar with them. This turns Hedwig into a bitter, mean-spirited, acid-tongued viper even toward her disillusioned "husband" and band-mate Yitzhak (actress Miriam Shor, wearing a convincing beard), an aspiring "Rent"-cast member in the making. In a sense, this film has a character at its center with the unconventional sexuality and self-absorbed, egotistical nature of a Fassbinder heroine ("The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant" came to mind on occasion). Mitchell's performance as Hedwig/Hansel is one that is at times repugnant, often funny, and ultimately quite moving. The film, based on the 1997 Off-Broadway musical, seems inspired as much by the musical influences of the character as by other glam rock musicals like "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" (1975). Mitchell, working with cinematographer Frank G. DeMarco, seems to have been utterly cut loose with his visual style here: they employ a hyperkinetic camera, occasionally frenetic editing, even animation (as in the heartwrenching and funny number "Origin of Love") - there's even a dreamy shot from Hedwig's POV where he jumps off a stage, floats improbably straight and seemingly forever above the crowd, and the whole time the sides of a wig can be seen on the edges of the frame. The songs, by Mitchell and Stephen Trask (who plays one of the band mates), are often hilarious, sometimes poignant, always entertaining - from the fun "Wig in a Box" to the sad "Midnight Radio," from the hilariously furious "Angry Inch" to the eerie "Wicked Little Town." Ultimately, this is a film about a journey of self-discovery - although Hedwig seems unaware of the journey she's on for most of the film's running time. It's about discovering who or what you are and being it, finding your place in the world and embracing it - not just for Hedwig, but for everyone. This was one of the year's most entertaining and, in fact, best films.

Mira Nair's delightful film is a warm human comedy about the universality of a modern but traditional extended family in Delhi, India gathering for the many days of celebration preceding an actual wedding ceremony. As a vast rain storm approaches, Aditi Verma (Vasundhara Das) is the bride-to-be, a sweet, round-faced beauty who is set for an arranged marriage to the non-resident Indian Hemant (Parvin Dabas), a computer programmer who lives in Houston. The trouble is, she's having an affair with a local TV talk-show host. Aditi's colorful family includes her parents Lalit (Naseeruddin Shah) and Pimmi (Lillete Dubey); he's all about his hosting-duties and the cost of the festivities (and what about that weather-proofing?) and she's a stress-smoker who wants to see everyone get what they want. Aditi's lovely cousin is Ayesha (Neha Dubey), who is rehearsing for a dance on the wedding night, and who is very much attracted to a man from Australia named Rahul (Randeep Hooda). And there's the event manager P.K. Dube (Vijay Raaz), who finds himself suddenly and completely head over heels for Alice (Tilotama Shome), the sweet young family maid. Meanwhile, there's the over 30-year-old who isn't married. That would be Ria (Shefali Shetty), who aspires to be a writer in America, but has age-old resentments toward the rich uncle who offers to put her there; she also doesn't like how he's acting around a young relative. Yes, like any wedding, there are secrets being kept, lies being told, old familial squabbles and new ones bubbling to the surface, including Aditi's young brother, a rather effeminate lad who loves dancing to pop music, making dramatic gestures, wearing makeup, and might want to be a chef ("Why don't we just find him a nice boy?," his father cruelly jests). When it rains, it pours, no? Mira Nair burst onto the scene with the audience-pleasing "Salaam Bombay!" (1988), followed it with "Mississippi Masala" (1992), and her films since have included "The Perez Family" (1995) and the controversial "Kama Sutra" (1997). Here, working from a screenplay by Sabrina Dhawan, Nair takes the Robert Altman approach, as she and cinematographer Declan Quinn plunge head-first into a large ensemble cast of names only famous in India (if at all), emerging with a cross-cultural feast; indeed those who've seen it may be reminded of Altman's "A Wedding" (1978). No introductions need be made, because all the characters already know and are (mostly) related to each other. The dialogue is part English, with much Hindi and some Punjabi (subtitled). Astonishingly, by the end we know all the relationships (if not all the names), and what every occurence may mean for the future. This is a sweet, funny, romantic and fun film that anyone can enjoy. NOTE: Nair has since gone on to direct the adaptation of Thackeray's "Vanity Fair" (2004) with Reese Witherspoon, and "The Namesake" (2007).