Little Amélie Or The Character Of Rain Review: A Wondrous Coming-Of-Age Tale That Transcends Space & Time

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This film beautifully reimagines a classic creation story as a touching story about a young child finding themselves. It’s a visually stunning, digitally animated film told through the memories of its clever and small main character, Loïse Charpentier. The animation style is unique – it looks like Claude Monet’s Water Lilies paintings brought to life with the magic of Hayao Miyazaki. Directors Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han use this beautiful style to tell a story about growing up, dealing with loss, and the happiness that comes with new experiences.

Based on Amélie Nothomb’s own life story, Little Amélie tells the tale of a Belgian family living in Japan after World War II, beginning in August 1969. Amélie’s father, a diplomat, had been stationed in Japan for a while, but Amélie was the first of their three children to be born there. The story portrays a peaceful and sheltered life, seen through the innocent perspective of a baby, with the narrative focusing on the characters of Vallade and Cho Han.

The film creatively interprets a Japanese belief that young children are like gods until they turn three. This is how the main character, Amélie, views herself. Through her perspective, the universe’s creation is imagined as happening through a kind of pipeline that formed the basic elements of our world (the original French title refers to this idea of ‘the metaphysics of tubes’). Although Amélie is able to speak, she chooses not to – or at least, that’s what she tells us. This is fortunate for Marc and Daniele (played by Laëtitia Coryn), a pianist, who are already busy raising their first two children.

The pediatrician quickly labels the baby a “vegetable,” a diagnosis the parents dismiss as absurd. When Amélie does cry, it’s clear she’s frustrated – she feels like a powerful being stuck in a baby’s body. This leads to destructive behavior, and the house quickly becomes chaotic. Seeing the parents struggle, their neighbor, Kashima-San (Yumi Fujimori), sends Nishio-San (Victoria Grobois) to help.

Things begin to improve when Amélie’s grandmother, Claude, comes to visit. With just one bite of Belgian white chocolate, Claude manages to get Amélie to open up. Shortly after, Amélie says her first word – “aspirateur,” which means vacuum cleaner – while watching Nishio use it. Excited, each family member tries to get Amélie to say their name. Amélie reflects that they seemed to need her to acknowledge them by name, “as if saying their name would prove they were real.”

When Claude has to return to Belgium, Amélie finds happiness again through her connection with Nishio. He opens up a new world for her, and as she spends time with him, her abilities develop. Like many stories with magical elements, Little Amélie is full of wondrous moments: eating white chocolate makes her float in a golden light, she can bring spring simply by wanting it, and her strong emotions even cause natural events like earthquakes when her grandmother passes away.

I was really struck by how Vallade and Chan Ho crafted this film entirely from a child’s perspective. It’s amazing how seamlessly they blend reality and imagination – and that’s where the film truly shines. They clearly get how a kid’s brain works when faced with the big questions. When you don’t have logical explanations, your imagination takes over, right? Like, if you don’t understand how seasons change, you might just believe you made it happen! Everything we see feels like a direct expression of the main character’s feelings – her wonder, her confusion, her joy, and how she’s starting to make sense of the world. It’s a beautiful and incredibly effective technique.

The English translation of the film’s subtitle alludes to the similarity between the name ‘Amélie’ and the Japanese word for rain, amé. This connection to rain stems from Amélie’s view of it as a beautiful, yet powerful and unseen force – qualities she also identifies with, as well as with the fluid, whimsical style of the animation. Discovering the meaning of her name in Japanese solidifies her feeling of connection to the country.

This detail highlights the filmmakers’ commitment to representing diverse cultures. Because the story is set in Japan’s past, the film subtly warns against the dangers of extreme nationalism. The recent history of Japan being impacted by Western powers creates tension, potentially damaging the connection between Nishio and Amélie. Even though Amélie is a god, she struggles to grasp concepts like death and racism.

Simply put, Little Amélie beautifully shows how connection and kindness can help people overcome past hurts, even across distances and generations. One particularly touching moment shows Amélie giving Nishio an empty jar, which magically fills with glowing memories when opened, revealing glimpses of his childhood. This suggests that Amélie’s happiness can help heal the pain in her friend’s past. Ultimately, Little Amélie demonstrates that even strong divisions – like those between generations or cultures with a history of conflict – can be overcome.

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2025-11-04 21:10