Final Paper-Cross Cultural Interpretations of Love: "Paris, Je T'aime", "Amelie" and "Love Me If You Dare"

“Love, Actually”: Cross-Cultural Interpretations of Love in “Paris, Je T’aime”, “Amélie”, and “Love Me If You Dare”

Love. This one meager word rears unconditional joy for some and devastating consequences for others. A person’s interpretations of love and what love means to him or her is also affected by the background in which the person was raised and the culture of the person. Three films we have seen over the course of the semester, “Paris, Je T’aime”, “Amélie” and “Love Me If You Dare” (Jeux d’enfants) examine different characters’ struggles with this complex, intense and confusing emotion and how it is interpreted in the face of cultural differences. According to the article “Love-Love Across Cultures” supports this fact, stating that “love is construed and constructed within context of culture and country.” (Hatfield & Rapson, 2).

“Paris, Je T’aime”, the 2006 multi-directed, fictional romantic drama set in Paris, presents to its spectator 21 different short films that concentrate on love and loving in Paris, the “City of Lights” and the city of love. The several stories of love’s triumph and tragedy of the characters stems from their backgrounds and the cultures from which they come. Some short films, for example, “Place des Fêtes”, present social and cultural commentaries which portray stronger messages than meet the eye. “Place des Fetes” from director Oliver Schmitz centers around a Nigerian man who believes he has fallen in love with a woman he sees in a parking deck. As he lies on the ground of the town square, bleeding from a stab wound to the thigh, something he grossly underestimates to be a mosquito sting, a young female paramedic comes to his rescue, and a woman he recognizes as the woman he met that day in a parking deck. She comes to his side and begins to treat his injury, just as she would for any other patient, but fails to recognize him. When the young man talks to her, he asks her if he can massage her feet and she wants to know why. Her reasons are valid: Why would he want to massage her feet and why would he be thinking of that while he is oozing blood from his stab wound? He responds by saying that she has been “running through his dreams all night.” Here, Oliver Schmitz inserts a social commentary about the dating styles of different cultures. Sometimes, men of American cultures, and possibly other cultures as well, will often try to find women for companionship by saying corny lines such as “Baby, you must be tired because you’ve been running through my mind all day/night.” Finding girlfriends in this way presents a stereotype of the often younger, American male. Along with cultural stereotype, this short film blends well with the others of “Paris, Je T’aime” because soon, the man dies from his injury and the woman did not realize the love she had for the man until he was gone and she realized how precious time was. The other films of “Paris, Je T’aime” represent values of love based on different backgrounds. The article mentions several types of love seen in various cultures and one of these is casual love and Place des Fêtes represents this classification because it notes how casually the young man feels about love. The overall mood of “Paris, Je T’aime” is compelling and emotionally charged, an opinion that trolliente2002 shares in her online post of the film on IMDb.com.

“Le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain”, or “Amélie” directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet in 2001 and set in France and Germany, recounts the fictional tale of a French waitress who sets out to touch the lives of strangers by performing good deeds. Many film critics proclaim it to be the “feel-good film of the year” for this reason and Steven D. Greydanus applauds its “breezy, stylized storytelling”. Though Amélie succeeds in winning the affections of those who have benefited from her altruism, it is not until the end of the film that we see Amélie win the affection of a significant other, a childhood friend, Nino. The reason behind this is explained most obviously in the beginning of the film when the narrator speaks about her troubled childhood. Amélie grew up in a bizarre family, one with a mother who constantly yelled at her and one with a father, who is a doctor and who hardly acknowledged her existence. One of the beginning scenes of the film shows her father listening to her heartbeat and little Amélie is so stricken by this small gesture of attention and love that her heart skips a beat and her father misdiagnoses her with a bad heart. In my opinion, this lack of attention, affection and love from her father explains her long disinterest in seeking a romantic partner. This film falls under the classification of “devoted love” because Amélie radiates a devoted love of her fellow man because she tries to help different characters through the plot and finally devotes love to love itself at the conclusion when she finds Nino. Hatfield and Rapson write that Americans are “more endorsing of secure attachment” (1) and this statement attaches a cultural context to the film because this secure attachment was something that Amélie had always longed for, yet was something she didn’t find until she found Nino. Because she never had this secure attachment to anyone, Amélie expressed devoted love in her altruistic ways.

Yann Samuell’s 2003 romantic and dramatic comedy “Love Me If You Dare” is set in France and Belgium and its plot focuses on young Julien and Sophie, childhood friends who forever engage in child’s play which always involves dares and trouble. As they get older, the dares become more dangerous and bear more consequence. Each time Julien dares Sophie to do something, he says “Game or not?” and she dares him to do something and asks the same question. Soon after the game of dares becomes a game of love when, at dinner one night, Julien dares Sophie to become engaged to him and presents her with a ring, which later on, he hurtfully gives to his real fiancée, another woman and the spectator soon realizes that this dare goes over the edge and bares the most consequence. At Julien’s wedding to the other woman, Sophie publicly objects to the wedding and Julien then realizes that the game of dares he had been playing with her all their lives had turned into the game of love and he falls enamored with her instantly. “Love Me If You Dare” falls under the classification of “casual love”, “passionate love” and “obsessive love”, all types which are mentioned in the article (1). Julien and Sophie casually share a love for each other when they are younger as they exchange flirty glances and even a kiss in one scene. They obsessively share a love of dares and their casual love eventually turns passionate as they realize that they loved each other and belonged together. The end of “Love-Love Across Cultures” states the idea that “Romantic passion is a complex, multifaceted emotional phenomenon that is a byproduct of an interplay between biology, self and society.” (2). Julien and Sophie’s love was an emotion that contained multifacets because it was often expressed in a casual kiss, dare and glance. Their societies had made them react as they did to one another and the passionate love that ignited in the film’s conclusion was sparked thanks to this complexity of the multifaceted emotion that love is.

Love is a complex and multifaceted emotion that can be expressed in many ways by different people depending on the surrounding society and cultural background of the person. Though it bears many multicultural interpretations, love is an intense, confusing and complex emotion that is unicultural because everyone no matter what cultural background feels, needs, and deserves love. Love is an emotion that sometimes causes pain and confusion but always causes happiness. “Paris, Je T’aime”, “Amélie” and “Love Me If You Dare” all reflect the tight interweavings of love and culture and its effect on different lives.

Bibliography

Arendt, Paul "Paris, Je T'aime" Online posting. 28 June 2007. Rotten Tomatoes 28 June 2007 <http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2007/06/25/paris_je_taime_2007_review.shtml>

Gieti, Christoph "It's my favorite movie of all time…" Online posting. 3 Dec 2002. IMDb: The Internet Movie Database. 21 May 2009 <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0211915/>

Hatfield, Elaine and Rapson, R.L. “Love-Love Across Cultures” 26 May 2009. Jrank.org. http://family.jrank.org/pages/1086/Love-Love-Across-Cultures.html

Paris, Je T'aime

Amelie

Love Me If You Dare

1:19, 0:44, 7:01

Film Clip Analysis-"Paris, Je T'aime" (Place des Fetes)

Though brief, the short clip of the Place des Fetes short film of "Paris, Je T'aime" reveals an abundance of information surrounding the entire film. These short films that comprise "Paris, Je T'aime" all tell stories of love and loving in Paris while confronting different stereotypes and taboo issues others may be afraid to touch. The short clip I presented in class today is example of such. A Nigerian man has just been stabbed and the female paramedic who tends to his wound we later learn is a love interest of his whom he met in a parking lot before this scene. As he lays on the ground, wincing in pain, he asks the young woman if he can massage her feet. Naturally, she asks him why he would want to do that and he says that she has been running through his dreams all night. Now, this dialogue plays on a cultural commentary and stereotypes because sometimes men who try to pick up women in bars or other public places will often drop corny lines on their prey such as "Baby, you look tired because you've been running through my mind all day/night." Following this mini-dialogue is a close-up of the young man's face as he grimaces in pain, finally realizing the seriousness of his injury. The camera blacks out three times, flashing back to when he first came to the town square for medical attention. It then pans back and forth on close-ups of their faces, reflecting the intensity of the mood as she tries to remember his face and where she knows him from. The only sounds heard in this short piece (which are diegetic) are coming from his voice as he sings the song that he sang when he first saw her in attempts of jogging her memory. This segment is crucial to the short film because while it confronts cultural stereotypes, the pace of the camera movements convey the message that time is precious and sometimes, you don't really know what you have until it is gone.

Paris, Je T'aime

Paris Je'Taime

Film Clip

Paris, Je T'aime

The Girl in the Cafe

David Yates' 2005 romantic drama "The Girl in the Cafe" promises a breathtaking, wonderful glimpse into the games of love and politics and the sometimes necessary intermingling of both. At the film's conclusion, the spectator must pick his or her jaw up off the floor as surprise after surprise reveals itself throughout the plot. Many films' titles present a basic idea of their premises, but "The Girl in the Cafe" does that and more as it also conveys a humanitarian message in the plot. The beginning of "The Girl in the Cafe" oozes a dismal tone and a gloomy mood as Lawrence, the male protagonist, walks in the rain, in a crowd full of people physically, but lonely in other aspects. The low speed of the camera as it follows him and the Enya-esque music reflect this mood and tone as well. The tone and mood change from dismal and gloomy to awkward and comical as he enters the cafe. With nowhere else to sit, he asks a young woman, whose name we learn is Gina, if he may sit with her. She grants him permission and he sits down. The conversation is uncomfortable as they drone on and on about random subjects, though he does interject that he works at a civil servant for the G8. His constant stuttering and shyness around Gina renders this scene awkward and comical and exudes laughter from its spectators. The awkwardness and comicality continues as a frame captures them dining together in an Italian restaurant. Later when Lawrence calls to ask Gina for what the spectator assumes is another date, the director plays on common cliches: "Boy calls girl and asks girl for a second date." Lawrence then surprises the spectator when he actually asks Gina if he would like to come with him to the annual G8 summit to take place in Reykjavik. She gladly and warmly accepts. Expectedly, over two cups of coffee, Lawrence explains what the G8 summit does, explaining that the issue on the line, extreme poverty in Africa, needlessly killing 30,000 children every day, one child every three seconds. Hearing this pours a passionate, heated opinion from Gina about the G8 and she makes this opinion known at the elegant dinner held one night. The mood of this scene turns tense just before she speaks because she could embarrass Lawrence and cause him to lose his job. From a first-person account, Gina also draws out emotion from the spectator because he or she will yell at the screen, begging her to not say anything. Yet, she does and the spectator is left stunned because Lawrence's job is now in jeopardy. A walk on the pier after the summit reveals why Gina was so outspoken about the meeting because she reveals that she had been in prison for hurting a man who had hurt a child. This scene bears a somber tone and a shocking mood at these words. The film's conclusion exudes a satisfying, touching mood as the camera zooms in on Lawrence and Gina's clasped hands. "The Girl in the Cafe" surprises because it is not merely a love story of two charming, young people who haphazardly meet in a charming little street cafe; it sends the message that some paths just need to cross and, in the words of Gina "By compromising, we are compromised". Had Gina and Lawrence not met, Gina would not have been present to share her strong convictions and opinions with the summit and they would not have reached the global solution that they did. I agree with Brian Lowry of Rotten Tomatoes when he proclaims "The Girl in The Cafe" to be a "confection sweetened with rare grace and gentle nobility". Lawrence and Gina's love story contributes rare grace and the topic of poverty and Gina's persistence with her feelings about poverty and children contribute the gentle nobility that, indeed sweeten this film and make it the confectioner's delight it is.

"Salut Cousin!"

Meznak Allouache's 1996 bomb "Salut Cousin" delivers an unfortunate cinematic experience as it inflicts a devastating blow to its spectators due to its clumsy direction and absence of plot. However, it is saved due to its successful conveyance of cross-cultural interpretations and immigration. The title itself carries significant irony because in the beginning of the film, Alilo comes to visit Mok in his 18th arrondissement apartment in Paris and in the end of the film, Mok is deported. Also, Mok is complaining about his family problems when they are obviously well-off enough to throw a lavish wedding such as the one they threw in the film. The only story capable of holding one's attention during this film is the promising relationship between Alilo and Fatoumata, which ends in happiness for both as they depart from the train station. Aside from this, however, the film continues to disappoint as the camera transitions in between shots. The spectator is left awestruck, but not in a good way, instead, in a confused way,as scenes that are put together are done so choppily leaving strong odors of confusion in the air because the spectator is often asking the question 'What is going on?" and "Okay, why did this just happen?" The mood of this film is difficult to define because of the film's overall choppiness and confusion in the spectator's minds about the other plots of the film's story. Perhaps the only symbol of stability and another symbol of irony in the film is Mok's goldfish, who we see swimming in his bowl at different times in the film's 97 minute duration. Before the police officers take Mok away in handcuffs, he is allowed to break free from them to feed his goldfish one last time. As the camera zooms in on the sprinkling of the fish food on the surface of the water, the spectator is left to ponder that the reason Mok tried so hard to break free and feed his fish before he left was because through all of his family drama, the fish represented a stability that he could have control over. Even if he had no control over his family's problems, he could always take care of his fish and feed his fish. Mok could have done so many other things, so many other final things before he was to be deported, but he decided that his fish needed to be fed. The headliner to "Salut Cousin!"'s soundtrack should be the LaFontaine poetry rapping heard throughout the film. This rapping contributes to what makes the film such a dull one because we know that Mok is an aspiring rapper and he has a great deal of family issues, but other than this and Alilo and Fatoumata's blossoming love, not much more of the plot is developed. The rapping also contributes irony as Mok unsuccessfully synchronizes LaFontaine's poetry into lyrics to the late 90s beats of the era. I could not disagree more with crystal1982's review of the movie on imdb.com when she says that "post-modern French society is portrayed truthfully and comically". Yes, the film portrayed post-modern French society truthfully through the eyes of these Maghrebines, but comically, not so much. Bomb, flop, disaster, whatever you wish to call it, the choppy feel and faint plotlines of the story seem to me a far cry from comedy.

"Amelie" et "Chocolat"

Jean-Pierre Jeunet's 2001 film, "Amelie", differs drastically from the 1988 film "Chocolat" from director Claire Denis in drastically different ways, one of which is the setting. "Amelie" tells the story of a young girl in Paris named Amelie, who grows up to become a waitress. She finds a small trinket box in her flat and when she goes out to search for its owner and finds him, Dominique Bredoteau, she is overcome with joy. The bright vivacity of the colors in Amelie reflect her demeanor, one of bright, bubbly vivaciousness and the setting of Paris, a high fashion, high energy, hustle and bustle city, reflects Amelie's high energy as she seeks out to commit other good deeds for people, hoping they will be touched. The bright, flashy colors used by Jeunet seem to bounce off the screen as Amelie bounces all over town trying to find Bredoteau to return his trinket box and to return Nino's photo album.
The high energy and bright colors of "Amelie" present a stark contrast to Denis' "Chocolat". Cameroon is the setting for this fictional drama. Throughout the film, the camera pans a landscape of vast African plain speckled with lifelessness. The trees with their wistful brown trunks and branches and the dry yellow gold of the plain itself reflect this, as does the pallor of the sky seem to wash out the shot. The inactivity and staleness of these colors reflect what is happening in the film, which does not have a lot going on in its plot. France, a young girl lives with her frequently absent father and mother at a colonial outpost, and she befriends Protee, the family servant. The plot of this film does not develop much more than this; France's father tries to repair their plane and they finally leave the post.
The settings of "Amelie" and "Chocolat" both reflect successfully the plots of each film and create moods that spill from the screen and into the minds of spectators. Amelie's bright, bubbly demeanor is well-captured in the bright colors and swift movements of the camera where as the staticness of the plot and slow pans of the camera reflect the activity of the plot and both exude a mood from their spectators; Amelie's is warm lighthearted, ambitious and bubbly and Chocolat's is drab and dull and somnolent.