Little Amelie is a self-reflexive exploration of childhood set against a vibrant backdrop.
The scenes are painted in broad, bright strokes and shapes, with no outlines. The strokes provide enough detail without being too precise – much like how a child when retelling a story might give you a brief overview instead of all the details. The rich colours and the art style invokes a child like wonder, like you’re seeing something for the first time.
This is apt, given that our narrator, Amelie, is three years old.
Despite her age, and initial vegetative state, Amelie is elegantly eloquent. While her interactions with the other characters in the story are true to her age, as a narrator, she offers mature observations instead of recounting incidents as a child her age normally would.
Consequently, Little Amelie feels like we’re taking a guided tour back to childhood. We are there when Amelie snaps out of her bubble and gains consciousness of her surroundings. I silently chuckled at her transformative first taste of chocolate. It was like reminiscing over old photos and videos of my own son’s journey from infancy to toddlerhood.
However, the world isn’t completely idyllic no thanks to, unsurprisingly, adult problems. Amelie’s family is originally from Belgium and are living in Japan in the 1960s. Tensions continue to linger in the form of the family’s landlord, Kashima-San. Thankfully, this does not extend to the family’s housekeeper Nishio-San, who forms a close relationship to the precocious Amelie.
However, Nishio’s geniality towards Amelie raises Kashima-San’s ire, bringing drama that a three year old should have to experience.
Seeing these issues play out through a filtered lens, coupled with the mature voice of our narrator, makes Little Amelie a surreal experience. On one hand, you wonder whether the astute observations Amelie makes are too simplistic. On the other, you can’t help but wonder if maybe we adults are overcomplicating every thing?
Despite the drama, Little Amelie feels like a respite from a world. A safe space for reflection. Little Amelie will wow you with its art and leave you with no choice but to remember.
Little Amelie is showing at the Alliance Française French Film Festival until 12th April.