Amélie poster

Amélie

2001122 minutesR
5.7
Arcplot Score
📝 Unconventional
Unverified
⭐ 8.3IMDb
🍅 90%Rotten Tomatoes
Ⓜ️ 70/100Metacritic
🎬 7.9TMDb
📊 7.4Popularity
🏆Nominated for 5 Oscars. 59 wins & 74 nominations total
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Directed by: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Amélie is a story about a girl named Amélie whose childhood was suppressed by her Father's mistaken concerns of a heart defect. With these concerns Amélie gets hardly any real-life contact with other people. This leads Amélie to resort to her own fantastical world and dreams of love and beauty. She later on becomes a young woman and moves to the central part of Paris as a waitress. After finding a lost treasure belonging to the former occupant of her apartment, she decides to return it to him. After seeing his reaction and his new found perspective - she decides to devote her life to the people around her. Such as, her father who is obsessed with his garden-gnome, a failed writer, a hypochondriac, a man who stalks his ex girlfriends, the "ghost," a suppressed young soul, the love of her life and a man whose bones are as brittle as glass. But after consuming herself with these escapades - she finds out that she is disregarding her own life and damaging her quest for love. Amélie then discovers she must become more aggressive and take a hold of her life and capture the beauty of love she has always dreamed of.

Box Office

Budget:$10.0M
Revenue:$173.9M
Profit:$163.9M

Arcplot Score Breakdown

Beat Timing Precision4.6/10
Emotional Arc Impact5.5/10
Thematic Consistency7/10
Overall Score5.7/10

Beat Sheet

15 plot points

Amélie Arcplot
1
Opening Image
1 min
2
Theme Stated
10 min
3
Set-Up
20 min
4
Catalyst
30 min
5
Debate
45 min
6
Break Into Two
55 min
7
B Story
65 min
8
Fun and Games
75 min
9
Midpoint
85 min
10
Bad Guys Close In
95 min
11
All Is Lost
105 min
12
Dark Night of the Soul
110 min
13
Break Into Three
115 min
14
Finale
120 min
15
Final Image
122 min

Emotional Arc

+100-10

Plot Points

#1

Opening Image

1 min

Paris 1990s. Young Amélie watches the world curiously, isolated, imaginative, and whimsical. Sets tone of whimsical observation and internal world.

#2

Theme Stated

10 min

Theme: Small acts of kindness can profoundly affect others. Amélie desires to bring happiness to people around her.

#3

Set-Up

20 min

Amélie grows up isolated, observing life quietly. Works in a café. Strange habits. Loves small joys and the unnoticed details of life. Lonely but creative, playful. Parisian streets establish aesthetic.

#4

Catalyst

30 min

Discovers a hidden treasure belonging to former occupant of her apartment. Returns it anonymously. Feels thrill and purpose in affecting someone's life. Spark of action.

#5

Debate

45 min

Amélie wonders if she should continue to help others secretly or pursue her own happiness. Hesitant, curious, afraid of vulnerability. Moral and emotional choice looming.

#6

Break Into Two

55 min

Decides to orchestrate small acts of kindness for others. Inventive, playful, clever interventions. Enters proactive world. Fun, whimsical games begin.

#7

B Story

65 min

Romantic subplot with Nino Quincampoix. Shy, awkward interactions. Gradually builds interest and tension.

#8

Fun and Games

75 min

Amélie helps neighbors, friends, and strangers. Improvises schemes, pranks, and acts of generosity. Humor, charm, and Parisian whimsy dominate.

#9

Midpoint

85 min

Amélie experiences both the thrill and limits of controlling outcomes for others. First glimpses of loneliness despite success. Moment of clarity about herself and desire for love.

#10

Bad Guys Close In

95 min

Fear, hesitation, and self-doubt. Does not pursue Nino directly. Afraid of rejection. Life orchestrated for others leaves her own heart unfulfilled.

#11

All Is Lost

105 min

Missed opportunities. Almost loses courage to act. Emotional stagnation. Inner loneliness amplified.

#12

Dark Night of the Soul

110 min

Reflects on desire, fear, and solitude. Wonders if she can achieve her own happiness. Emotional reckoning.

#13

Break Into Three

115 min

Decides to pursue Nino directly. Takes bold action, leaving whimsical interventions behind. Fully engages with life and love.

#14

Finale

120 min

Meets Nino, playful, sincere interaction. Connection established. Joy, love, and whimsy converge. Life becomes shared adventure.

#15

Final Image

122 min

Amélie and Nino together, riding bicycle through Paris. Whimsy, love, and curiosity intact. Theme of joy and kindness realized. Completion of personal and relational arc.