The movie, Amelie, greatly reflects the readings that were given this week in many aspects. Instantaneous photography is a term used very loosely. At first, it was really only used to describe the fast pace at which people could create their visions into reality. However, the word became much more complex. “Photographers also came to use the word instantaneous as short-hand for authenticity and trustworthiness in their pictures” (Marien 43). With this in mind, the photographs captured in Amelie do just this. For example, the first photograph that the audience is exposed to, is the one of the man in the box. As the audience discerned, it clearly spoke the truth to someone’s past because it evokes tears from the original photographer’s eyes.
Instantaneous photographs capture a moment in time; however, they are much more than that. It is important for the viewer of that picture to take the whole context into perspective. Many of the photographs in Amelie have stories and must be decoded to fully understand. Firstly, this is shown in all of the images pieced together within the photo album. Because Amelie has no frame of context for any of these people, the faces all obtain a mysterious quality. As a result, the pictures take on the personalities that Amelie imagines they would have. Then, Amelie also leads Nino on a chase with her perplexing images. One of them is actually a picture of herself as a masked woman. She uses photography to explore her imagination, as well as, to provoke people’s creativity.
Amelie understands photography as a key to unlocking a story. Nonetheless, if that story is not accessible, she constructs her own story of that person. For instance, before she even knew who the “dead man” was, she envisioned a whole different life for him. He was someone who desired recognition from others because he was always isolated by others. The audience learns later on that this is unambiguously not the case. He is a repair man who keeps his head down and fulfills his duties. He seeks anything but acknowledgment from others.
Amelie is very similar to Vivian Maier. Vivian went her entire life photographing beautiful images, yet had no desire to share them with the world. This apprehension of recognition parallels greatly with Amelie. For the majority of the movie, she does not want to have her quote on quote claim to fame. Amelie takes joy in the adventure the pictures provide for her, yet she is scared of being exposed. What if Nino found out it was her and wasn’t satisfied? Then, the fictitious world she created with Nino would vanish within an instant. This is extremely similar to Vivian’s case. What if the photographs Vivian took were not as good as she thought? Would the public even receive her well for that matter? In both cases, these two artists are afraid of public scrutiny and criticism.
We can learn to embrace our imagination and to make our fantasies into a reality from Amelie. Amelie was someone who always lived in her daydreams. These dreams are what helped her cope through many difficult times in her life. Amelie delineated that art is a powerful medium that can transport, alleviate, and drive us towards our destinies.
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