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International Film Critique

Use the following format for your international film critique; answers must be typed below the questions and
all questions must appear in full on your final copy. You can use this document as your template. Pay careful
attention to the required number of words for those questions that have them. Failure to follow the instructions
here and on your syllabus will result in a substantially low grade. Minimal answers poorly written are a D
grade or less. Elaboration of points, excellent arguments, and good writing garner higher grades.

Name _____Jessica Huerta______

Class period/section ____005____

1) Title of Film: Amlie

2) Year of release: ____2001_____
3) Language of original film: French
4) Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
5) Actors: Tautou, Audrey; Kassovitz, Mathieu; Pinon, Dominique; Moreau, Yolande
6) Give a brief plot summary {150-250 words. DO NOT plagiarize from the web!]: In the film Amlie,
directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet shows how a middle age woman has gone through a tragedy of her
mothers death when she was just a child. When Amlie grows older she moves out of her fathers house
and works as a waiter. The film introduces Lucien that works for Collignon and Amlie has a crush on
Lucien, but does not like how Collignon treats Lucien. One night Amlie found a small box inside her
bathroom wall, she then started asking if anyone knew who lived in her apartment a few years ago. Amlie
returned the box back to the owner and she noticed how she liked helping others, but through helping
others she noticed she was losing herself. Amlie fell in love with Nino without noticing but was too
afraid to talk to him, Amlie referred to herself as an introvert. At the end of the film Amlie and Nino
stayed together.

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7) Analyze the social and philosophical issues the film addresses. Make sure you include the point of view of
the movie, the context of the movie, what audience the movie is targeting, and why. (i.e. you should
address and reflect upon the argument or meaning of the work. This should be analysis, not just
summary of issues in the movie). {at least 500 words} In this film Amlie, directed by Jean - Pierre Jeunet
shows how the main character Amlie is going through some issues. It first starts off how she faces some
emotional issues when her mother died. The death of her mother caused Amlie to alienate herself from
everyone. The audience is looking at this film through Amlie point of view. Mainly because it focuses on
how she feels throughout the whole film. This film is targeting women who are introverts that are afraid of
getting out of their comfort zone. It is shown when Amlie does not know if to take a chance on talking to
Nino. She felt like if she did not talk to him she would not be heartbroken, but if she did talk to Nino she
would risk Nino not liking her back or that something bad would happen. This film is trying to say that
most women are introverts and are afraid to get out of their comfort zones. Though not all women are
introverts, there are women who are not afraid to go talk to random stranger and that do a lot more things
that women who are introverts would not normally do. Another issue this film did not show is how there
are men who are also introvert but not only women. Since this is mostly seen in women it actually affects
men also. There are many reasons why anyone would become an introvert person. First of all, they could
have previous bad experiences in life, or they just do not feel comfortable doing something. The meaning
of this film was basically to show how someone who is introvert could change their lives so they would
not be miserable but there are people who are introverts that live a happy life. Though this film was
showed through Amlie point of view which she expresses sadness, anger, shyness and many other
feelings towards the situations she is put on because of her life.
8) What is your response to the message of the film? Why do you respond this way? Show that you are
thinking about your own thinking here and the biases/assumptions about the world you bring to your
viewing. Did the film change the way you view the subject? Why, or why not? {at least 250 words} I did
not understand the film at first but when Amlie tough that everything bad that happened around was her

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fault reminded me how I used to feel like that when I was younger. There are scenes in this film that most
people could relate to. For example, when someone starts liking a person but they are introverts they
understand how hard it is to even speak to that someone that they really like. Basically this film shows
how life is for an introvert, it shows how difficult it is for them to get out of their comfort zone. It shows
how if someone who is introvert and does not take chances at life their life would always be the same and
it could make them miserable. Amlie is a great example when she did not know if to return the album to
the person who lost it or just keep it to herself because she fell in love with the guy who had started the
album of a stranger without knowing who it belonged to. Amlie then went to look for the owner of the
album and fell even more in love with Nino without knowing who he was or how he looked, it proved that
she was ready to get out of her comfort zone because she was determined. Amlie knew that if she did not
give Nino a chance to be with her she will be miserable by herself. This film showed how Amlie turned
her life around and how she did not become miserable.
9) What cultural differences did you notice in the film (philosophical outlook, humor, architecture, customs,
clothes, cities, weather, food, music, dancing, lifestyles, etc.)? What did you learn about history,
economics or politics? (There are always differences; look for them). {at least 250 words} In the film
Amlie there were a lot of cultural differences compared to the United States. For example, the way they
are dressed, Amlie always wore a long dress or skirt with dress shoes. Compare to the United States most
women dont always wear long dresses or skirts when they are going out. The humor in the film is
different from in the United States, we usually laugh at dumb things but in the film Amlie most of the
funny parts came from when she tricked Nino to get the album that she left in his motorcycle but made
him walk really far from where Amlie was standing. Cities in the film Amlie are different mainly
because it takes place in France. Where Amlie worked was a caf but at the same time a small cigarette
store where Georgette sold lottery tickets. The food they ate was always cooked at home and not store
bought, it was also homemade. They also had Lucien deliver groceries. Amlie lifestyle was different but
at the same time could be relatable to other people. In the film the music was different compare to the

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music played in films nowadays. I was able to learn a little bit of history through this film, by the
historical places that were filmed and how they mention about a war that happened.
10) What techniques did the filmmaker use that were different from what you see in the films you normally
watch? Think about lighting, dialogue, atmosphere, setting, music, and how the filmmaker might play
upon your own biases, etc. {150 words}: The film Amlie is different than most films from the ones I see
because they made the film unique. This film started sad, it was filmed to show how sad Amelies life was
how she thought that everything bad that happened was her fault. The lighting was different because it was
dark most of the movie, I believe it was to represent Amlie emotions towards whatever issues she was
facing at the moment. When reading the description of the movie I thought that it was going to be a boring
film but the way it was filmed to make the television speak to Amlie caught my attention right away
because it kept talking to her about possibilities of changing the way she reacted to a situation or how to
change her life for the best of her. The setting in this film was in different places in Paris for example the
train station, the apartment of Amlie, the house of Amlie father and where Amlie worked. These places
played an important role because the characters speak French.
11) Discuss how what you saw in the film relates to one of the assigned readings or class
discussions we have had. Be specific! {150 words} Amlie is relatable to readings and discussions weve
had previously in this semester. For example, the chapter of What is Happiness? In this chapter we discussed
how for a person to reach full happiness has to be in good state with their psychological and material life. In
the film Amlie started off as being unhappy, she was afraid of doing something out of the normal for herself
until she found the box in her bathroom that made her find out who lived in her apartment a few years before
she moved in. That was the first step she took to get out of her comfort zone, she was motivated to make
herself happy. Also in the reading No Sense of Community, No Anchor by Howard Cutler and His Holiness the
Fourteenth Dalai Lama, explain how to become happy is by having a community that you could rely on.
Amlie was able to build that connection with Madeleine and Raymond.

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12) Why do you think I assign an international film? I believe that this assignment was assigned to show us
to be open minded about what is going around the world. It shows that each film was filmed not to
entertain only but to prove or explain an issue that is happening around the world. The film I saw was
about a woman who was introvert, this film taught me how many issues the main character had to go
through to get out of her comfort zone. This assignment made me pay attention how people are different in
every country but could still go through the same issues as anyone else.

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References
Amlie. Dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Perf. Audrey Tautou, et al. 2001.