The Duality of Amelie Poulain
Amelie is one of those films that will stick with you for a lifetime — -at least in my case. The soundtrack, the synchronized colour patterns, the whimsy dialogues and the cheeky characters make this one of the greatest movies ever to be produced. It’s touching and insightful, with slightly dramatized sequences that pull you in and leave you feeling nostalgic for a time you can only long for.
Amelie’s journey is one all dreamers can relate to, lost between two tides, one in her head and one in reality, which one is worth living? and can these two worlds exist simultaneously?
Amelie Poulain : A Shy Dreamer Between Two Tides
Amidst the bustling streets of Paris lies the extraordinary tale of Amelie Poulain, a shy young woman who finds joy in the simple pleasures of life. Amelie forged her own little world. As a child, her parents emotionally neglected her; she was homeschooled and had no contact with other children. Between her mother’s nervous breakdowns and her father’s cold nature, she found refuge in her own mind.
After an unexpected revelation gave her the idea of influencing people’s lives, she began to question the life she was born into. And most importantly, she started to re-evaluate the world she had crafted in her head.
Although as a child, her imagination had saved her from the unbearable weight of existence, now as an adult, that imagination has turned into an internal prison, no longer protecting her but, on the contrary, limiting her from the infinite possibilities of life.
This makes me wonder: can shy dreamers ever fit in? More importantly, can they find happiness in a world that doesn’t wait for them?
— — — Finding The present moment, how did Amelie connect her two worlds ?
Enjoy the little things
Amelie often found pleasure in the simplest of things, things that we often take for granted…
- Skipping stones on the Canal Saint-Martin:
- Cracking the caramelized sugar crust of a crème brûlée
- Dipping her hands in a bag full of peas
- Creating imaginary scenarios about strangers
Aristotle believed that by observing the world, you can grasp the essence of things. Allowing yourself to be fully immersed in the present experience comes from reflecting on the values you hold as most important. Enjoying the little things lies in the simple fact that life exists in the here and now. It is made of small moments that compose our life, and sometimes we tend to forget that. We hyper-focus on the big picture and set goals for the future, forgetting the blessings we’re already surrounded with.
The world of little things can pull you into its orbit as easily as a dustbuster would a speck of dust. It’s likely to reprogram you to read far more into things than you thought yourself capable of, by surrendering the reins of life to imagination. -John Guare in Six Degrees of Separation
The importance of social interactions
From orchestrating small acts of kindness to rekindling forgotten passions, Amelie reminds us that every individual has a story worth knowing. Many characters in the movie have dealt with loneliness — the painter with brittle bone disease, Amelie’s grieving father, and the neighbour who receives letters from her deceased husband…
Through her interactions, Amelie broke down these barriers and encouraged others to take a chance at forging meaningful connections. Social interactions, no matter how small, have the power to change people’s lives forever. A quick smile at a passing stranger, complimenting your neighbour, holding the door for another person. We too have the chance to form lasting bonds, prioritize empathy and discover the profound beauty of shared experiences.
Altruism: Does happiness come from helping others?
Amelie derives a lot of fulfilment from making others happy, whether it’s helping a blind man cross the street, acting as cupid for her two friends, or encouraging her dad to travel the world. She found a sense of purpose and a genuine desire in witnessing those around her become happier. She came to a very important realization: Our inner joy blossoms when we contribute to the well-being of those around us.
Amelie’s act of kindness created a ripple effect — like skipping stones at canal Saint Martin — her impact extends beyond the immediate recipients. It echoes far enough to contribute to a joyful interconnected community.
This is what Kant referred to as the Categorical Imperative: Our actions should be guided by moral principles that we wish to see embraced by other rational beings — like it’s a universal law.
Basically, we should practice what we preach. If we want the world to be a better, kinder place, then we should go out there and make it as such, even if we ourselves are miserable beings. The categorical imperative can only be rightfully implemented if we are treating others as ends in themselves, rather than means to an end. I’m assuming Amelie figured this out without reading Kant’s metaphysics of morals; either way, it’s still impressive.
Turning inwards
Amelie’s journey in spreading as much joy as she can led her to discover her own happiness, which is essentially the hardest and most courageous journey you can embark upon. She learned how to break away from her isolation zone.
Like any rom-com protagonist, Amelie had a major setback — she couldn’t talk to the boy she likes. She could think about him for hours, but approaching him felt like Dante’s Inferno (guilty).
One could argue she was acting in “bad faith.” According to postmodernism’s enfant terrible Jean-Paul Sartre, bad faith is when we mentally deceive ourselves, hindering the discovery of our full potential. In his words, “all things we are not at present, but could possibly become.” Much to Amelie’s predicament, refraining from speaking to the boy she likes eliminates the possibility of forming a romantic connection.
As a dreamer myself, I believe Amelie realized this at some point — likely in the middle of the night. Sartre called this “negative ecstasy,” our nighttime introspections (for me, it’s 3 am), where everything and anything is possible. During these after-hours, anything can happen — yes, we can quit our job and start that jewellery shop we’ve always wanted.
Unfortunately, these revelations quickly fade away in the morning when we realize we have the whole day to take action. Instead, we suppress these thoughts and force ourselves to be content with how things are.
Through Amelie’s journey, we are reminded to challenge our limitations and not run away from authenticity. As it is the ultimate act of kindness we can do for ourselves.
Existence precedes essence- Jean Paul Sartre
Can we exist in our two worlds?
Amelie teaches us that life is a constant struggle, always pulling you from one side to another — an ontological duality between our deepest desires and the external reality we navigate.
The goal is not to choose one over the other, but to integrate them, as idealistic as that might sound. Our imagination is the untapped reservoir of our potential, a potential that could only be accomplished in reality.
Imagination should fuel our actions instead of escaping them. The key word here is “escape”: if we use our mind to escape reality, that’s when we’re pulled away from existing in the real world. And when that does happen, do we exist at all?
What seems like a simple story of girl meets boy is actually a beautiful representation of our psyche, the complex journey of finding one’s place in the world, at times scary and at times undeniably ecstatic. Within this intricate dance we call life lies a balance, a well-thought measure of our own sanity.
