La joie de vivre: 25 years of Amélie

Le Fableux Destin d’Amélie Poulain has returned to the big screen to mark 25 years since its release. A quarter of a century later, Amélie continues to enchant audiences around the world with her heartwarming story of life, friendship and romance.

Protagonist Amélie Poulain (played by Audrey Tautou) stands apart from other heroines in contemporary cinema – she is shy and quirky, and has a strong ambition to help those around her. Amélie has a whimsical view of the world; her kindness and empathy allow her to take joy in the little things in life. The film Amélie is unique for many reasons, most notably for its expansive cast of secondary characters, all with extraordinary stories of their own. From the mysterious ‘Glass Man’, Amélie’s neighbour, an aspiring painter with bones so fragile he cannot leave his apartment, to Amélie’s love interest, Nino, who collects fragments of photobooth pictures from all over Paris in order to return them to their owners, Amélie’s cast is full of interesting figures with their own personal tragedies and triumphs.

Amélie was very well received in France shortly after its release, sweeping the César awards – winning Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Score, and Best Production Design all in 2002. Over the channel in the UK, Amélie won the BAFTA awards for Best Original Screenplay and Best Production Design.

A remastered Amélie is being shown in cinemas this year, an event one BBC article describes as “a chance to experience a French classic as it was meant to be seen – on the big screen”.

So why is Amélie still so popular today, 25 years after its release?

Amélie’s interwoven story highlights the fact that everywhere, right now, everyone is living their own story

Following the romcom genre, Amélie’s story is full of clever French humour accessible even to foreign viewers. The chase between Amélie and Nino is heightened throughout the film, culminating in the Glass Man’s speech urging Amélie to “go get him!”, resulting in the characteristic chase scene well-known to romcom fans. From various comedy side plots of Amélie’s father receiving postcards of global landmarks from his garden gnome to Amélie’s Home Alone-style pranks on the greengrocer, Amélie’s interwoven story highlights the fact that everywhere, right now, everyone is living their own story.

Set in Montmartre, Amélie’s beautiful Parisian scenery provides the perfect backdrop for a tale of romance and an appreciation for the small things in life. Amélie’s soundtrack, curated by Yann Tiersen, delicately immerses the audience in the story.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s cinematography makes Amélie stand out amongst other romcoms, he presents the story in quick, pacy scenes that are visually stunning. The BFI describes Amélie as “instantly accessible and entertaining”, explaining why her story is still being shown in UK cinemas in 2026.

Amélie’s story feels like a dream, which raises the question – are recent releases still encouraging this whimsical attitude to life?

The key theme of the film encourages viewers to allow themselves to dream, “les temps sont durs pour les rêveurs” (these times are hard for dreamers) speaking to our ever-changing, fast-paced society. Arguably, Amélie’s message could also bring attention to the current nature of the film industry, compared to contemporary blockbusters. Amélie’s story feels like a dream, which raises the question – are recent releases still encouraging this whimsical attitude to life?

Amélie’s story has even been adapted into a musical on both the West End and Broadway stages, with differing levels of success. One British theatre article argues the production in the States “smoothed away much of the quirky, handmade charm” of the 2001 film. However, Amélie’s début on stage in the UK showed “the show’s true potential”, leaning more into the tenderness of Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s direction of the film.

Quotes such as “in such a dead world, Amélie prefers to dream” recall the entire purpose of the film, which transcends language barriers: a message of kindness, noticing the little things in life, and recognising the impact one person can have on so many others’ lives. I would argue that Amélie will continue to captivate audiences around the world for years to come.