César Awards

High school French class... yeah... or maybe university?? I don't know... I think I'd remember if it was a better movie, but I remember that it didn't suck despite it being a very slow starter.

It's impossible to make a film like this without a grand vision, and Jean-Pierre Jeunet channels his into an innovative and highly enjoyable film. Audrey Tautou creates such a lovable character, and the story is quirky, touching and thought-provoking without being schmaltzy. Great fun to watch over and over, beautifully shot and well-paced, Amelie rightfully became an instant classic, and is film I should have seen long before now.

A truly outstanding film that leaves you with a great deal to digest. It does have its lulls, but the excellent acting and the double-edged sword that is Arcand's script more than make up for it. To the very end, you don't know who to take seriously and who to dislike, and the end result is a moving experience sprinkled with some of the darker comedy you'll ever see on film. It's a great creator of cynics, and while you may think you get what you want with the ending, you may not want what you got. It's brilliant.

A very good film that I almost turned off 40 minutes in. I'm very glad I didn't, the ending alone is worth sticking it out for. Aside from the over-long exposition, La Graine et le Mulet is a film that is really, really interesting to think about after watching it, as it tells a story of one family finding its place in its adopted homeland. It's very hard to summarize the story without ruining the drama, but suffice to say that Claude Berri plays into stereotypes very well, and over the course of the film turns you for and against his protagonists very easily. I think this film is meant to expose the viewer's pre-conceived notions and make you question yourself: if you're French and happen to be a little xenophobic, you'll see it very differently than if you're an immigrant to France from North Africa... and if you're a neutral Canadian like me? It's an eye-opener to a variety of discrimination that's generally not seen here, and a good film to watch for that reason. The movie's a bit on the long side, but all in all it is worth sticking it out for enjoyable and poignant second half.