SPOILERS
Amelie (Pauline Etienne) returns to Japan after many years of being away. Everyone speaks very fast! Such energy. Amelie even speaks of the energy and happiness she feels. Right off, I notice the neat, organized gardens, even at the houses near the train tracks. She starts teaching French to a rich Japanese boy "Rinri", played by Taichi Inoue. Although he seems to know just as much francais as she does. My first thought was: rich kid hires a tutor to find a girlfriend. Was kind of fun to hear the mix of Japanese and French, as they meet up with Rinri's friends. We also see all the fun Japanese gadgets, and the dekotora. Funny scene of the old man singing over the transit trains... where no-one will be disturbed. They could have left out the scene where Amelie sings her corny "happy" song. Beautiful scenes of the Japanese countryside when she goes hiking. The whole length of the film, we are wondering, as Amelie is wondering, "Where is this going?" It got a bit confusing. At first, the flashes into her mind are amusing, but sometimes its difficult to know what is real and what she is thinking in her mind. Fine performances by Etienne and Inoue. This was the first and only film for Inoue so far, but Etienne has done many. Directed by Stefan Liberski, who has worked in films for many years. Story by Amélie Nothomb... note that this is also the name of our lead. Wonder if this is also her story. Sad ending. Clearly the relationship went the way that the author wanted (or experienced in real life) or she could have taken steps to keep the relationship alive. This received such (un-deserved) low ratings on netflix. It's not bad. Pretty good.
Amelie (Pauline Etienne) returns to Japan after many years of being away. Everyone speaks very fast! Such energy. Amelie even speaks of the energy and happiness she feels. Right off, I notice the neat, organized gardens, even at the houses near the train tracks. She starts teaching French to a rich Japanese boy "Rinri", played by Taichi Inoue. Although he seems to know just as much francais as she does. My first thought was: rich kid hires a tutor to find a girlfriend. Was kind of fun to hear the mix of Japanese and French, as they meet up with Rinri's friends. We also see all the fun Japanese gadgets, and the dekotora. Funny scene of the old man singing over the transit trains... where no-one will be disturbed. They could have left out the scene where Amelie sings her corny "happy" song. Beautiful scenes of the Japanese countryside when she goes hiking. The whole length of the film, we are wondering, as Amelie is wondering, "Where is this going?" It got a bit confusing. At first, the flashes into her mind are amusing, but sometimes its difficult to know what is real and what she is thinking in her mind. Fine performances by Etienne and Inoue. This was the first and only film for Inoue so far, but Etienne has done many. Directed by Stefan Liberski, who has worked in films for many years. Story by Amélie Nothomb... note that this is also the name of our lead. Wonder if this is also her story. Sad ending. Clearly the relationship went the way that the author wanted (or experienced in real life) or she could have taken steps to keep the relationship alive. This received such (un-deserved) low ratings on netflix. It's not bad. Pretty good.