Magical Realism in Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Amèlie (2001)

Abstract

Magical realism started to be loved in the field of movies. One of the movies that adopts magical realism elements is Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Amélie. Amélie is a movie that tells the life story of a woman named Amélie Poulin who has lived in loneliness since she was a child until one day, she finds a childhood treasure box hidden behind the wall of her apartment which then takes her on an adventure that can change her life. Amélie’s life journey, which is filled with things beyond reason, makes the theory of magical realism by Wendy B. Faris that contains irreducible elements, phenomenal world, unsettling doubt, merging realism, and disruption of time, space, and identity is appropriate. In addition, this research will also analyze the relation of each magical realism in supporting the theme of the movie by using Maggie Ann Bowers theory. The result of this study reveal that magical realism in this movie is depicted through the imagination and unique traits of the characters and also through the events experienced by the characters. In addition, the magical realism elements in the movie used to elaborate the theme of the movie which is loneliness and the journey of happiness or self-discovery.