PROFESSOR LUJANS SPRING COM3417 : COMUNICATION IN FILM

International Film Comparison:

Quiana Major

3/21/2017

After watching Amlie(2001) &Y Tu Mam Tambin(2001); one film from France and one from Mexico, this
multiperspective analysis essay will attempt to compare and contrast the two films to conclude that both films
are coming of age narratives that give stark differences on the consequences of pursuing desires .Comparison
based on several elements of the films, such as the cinematography and the narrative.
International Film Comparison Major 1

International Film Comparison:

Amlie(2001) &Y Tu Mam Tambin(2001)

To explain how things change or how they got to be, people tell stories. Using the camera, light,

color, actors, sound and editing film makers bring the stories people tell to life through cinema

the audiovisual medium [ CITATION Ste12 \l 1033 ]

Cinema has developed from the 19th century to present day with little over 200 years

under its belt cinema has given us the audience creations like Trip to the Moon(1902)and

Arrival(2016)that offer entertainment, social commentary and fantasy ,telling stories in a way

that would be impossible without the collective process of film making and the type of audio

visual communication the screen offers. The two Foreign Films I will be comparing are

Amlie(2001) &Y Tu Mam Tambin(2001). Two very distinct movies in their own right and

genre, they depict life and the lessons that one can and must learn when becoming an adult or

realizing your place in life. Sometimes without consent and sometimes with desire these two

films Amlie(2001) &Y Tu Mam Tambin(2001) allow one to question themselves, the

characters and the society portrayed every step of the way. This essay will attempt to analytically

compare the aft mentioned films. First by giving a brief summary of the films Amlie(2001) &Y

Tu Mam Tambin(2001) to then point out the issues and themes that these films deal with

within the films narrative. Then to compare the films based on the individual films use of

cinematography. To then further compare and state the claim that was formed after analyzing the

two brilliant films. The first comparative element of film will be that of the narrative preceded by

a summary of the films conflict development and resolution and the issues that are addressed

within the film. A narrative is the sequence of events that occur to lead to a subsequent event.
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Amlie(2001) is a turn of the century French romantic comedic fantasy film that depicts

the life of Amlie Poulain, sometime in the 1980s following the death of the late Princess Diana.

It follows the narrative of a young womans discovering her purpose and new found desire in life

to bring pleasure and happiness to those around her based on a pervious lack of in her young life,

getting to know herself and others in the process of adventures, puzzles and devious clandestine

activities she finds a love interest that is her ultimate reward for interacting with society from her

own unique altruistic way. Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, written by Guillaume Laurant , this

film was nominated for best foreign language film , best sound, best Cinematography, best art

direction-set decoration, and best writing screenplay written directly for the screen. The issues of

circumstance and loneliness are very present in this film. In the film we see Amlie isolated from

the world because of the events that happened to her from her childhood to adulthood. While the

events where not alone themselves and took place simultaneously with other events around the

world and in the world of Amlie(2001) Pairs, France. The events such as being homeschooled

and watching her mother die and a fly being ran over by a car and a pair of wine glasses dancing

lead to Amlie first entail state in the film to be alone and unsatisfied. Until by chance or by

circumstance she finds a chalice that allows her to began her adventure of self-discovery. On this

journey of Amlies we find the other issues that this film deals with such as desire and fantasy.

A hint of magic and desire in this film is based on Amlie seeking out ways to break her isolation

through helping people she deems worthy and punishing those who are not. With her desire of

altruism being the main source of most of her happiness and communication though out the film

stemming from a pure place of pleasures she then lustfully pursues these wants to be rewarded

by circumstance to find love. The fantasy is seen when pictures come alive not to distract from

the main narrative but to add to the narration or guidance of the story line.
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While Amlie(2001) dealt with thoughts and ideas of desire and actions and subsequently

the positive consequences of those actions Y Tu Mam Tambin(2001) is the darker less pure side

of desire of an egotistical nature appears .Aa sexual desire of a fragile mortal and societal nature

is the vantage point that we the views see all of the issues in the film. Y Tu Mam Tambin(2001)

is dramatic and sometimes comical depiction of two older adolescent boys named Tenoch

Iturbide and Julio Zapata in early 2000s Mexico, as they embark on an adventure to the country

side in search of a seemingly nonexistent beach named Heavens Mouth , as a consequence of

the predation of a lustful relationship to Tenoch distant cousins young wife Luisa Corts. The

two boys and Luisa find connection, attraction, and the painful burden of knowing, knowing

each other, of knowing secrets, of knowing nothing, and knowing everything. Directed by

Alfonso Cuarn Written by Alfonso Cuarn and Carlos Cuarn, this film was nominated for best

screenplay because of its uses narrative to give an authentic film of life, mortality, sex and how

they can affect the relationships around us. The fact that sex has a progression its self a form of

growth along with the boys the sex in this film ages from fun, to serious, to hurtful, to regretful

and then to meaningless. This is seen from the time spent with their girlfriends to playful

masturbation together , to lustful and competitive uncontrolled (by them) erotic sex, to then

betrayal of a once good friend that was sex , and then to the climactic sex that they all share but

quickly turns into a choice that was not fully understood and forces the once best friends Tenoch

and Julio to see the world differently after knowing each other to then move on apart from one

another deeming the sex both pivotal in their life but meaningless as no further mutual sexual

action was taken to progress their relationship as friends. Underneath all the sex there were

undertones of politics that either the narrator would share with the audience, or the dialogue of

the charters would give it away, or the constant fear of the government in no principal shots.With
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both films following classic three act structure they have a similar narrative and plot structure

that evolves over the span of the film to lead to outcomes based on the actions or decisions the

main characters made on their journey. Both depicting the central issue or theme of desire and

consequences of pursuing those desires for better or worst in both films the characters learn lifes

lessons and are faced with the result of achieving those desires. The second element of film I will

continue to further attempt to compare the two films Amlie(2001) &Y Tu Mam Tambin(2001)

is the element of cinematography. Cinematography is the method in which through tactical

planning and implementation of lighting and color design a cinematographer controls what is

seen within the known frame size during filming and viewing. Thus manipulating the use of light

to depict realistic or pictorial for effects to create a low or high key lighting keeping in mind the

continuity of the lighting throughout every scenes image and designing color schemes that

control hue, saturation, and intensity a cinematographer principle role is to control what and how

an object is defined in a scene to establishing the narrative organization of a film, physiological

moods and symbolic meanings. Along with the films structure such as camera angle and camera

movement, cinematography is the visual control of a films point of view. In the following

paragraphs I will give my analysis of each films use of cinematography. Its always about what

I can do with the script. If I think I can do nothing with the Cinematography I will not do it

Bruno Delbonnel , Cinematographer for Amlie(2001).In this film the use of lighting, depth of

field , color pallet, and use of camera angle and camera movement to create an fantastical world

of a somewhat real Paris, France with the help of visual effects I might add . The film print was

35mm, with a hazy dreamscape yellowish hue quality with the blend of soft and hard focus with

light and dark into the frame caries well. The aspect ratio was an anamorphic 2.35:1 very wide

angled shots and tight close shoots of the film there seems to be good use of pictorial lighting
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effects and additive mixing of strongly saturated and intensely vivid discolored organic and lush

colors pallets of greens, yellows, reds, and blues that played right alongside the emotions of each

scene. A surreal scene that depicts these cinematic tools is the scene in which Amelie goes to the

sex shop to return the photo book to Nino. As shown in Figure. 1 pg. 7. Happiness and sensual

desire are felt in this scene and emphasized with the blue light and red color present within the

shop. The camera tracking and movement throughout the film gives perspective of point of view

that at time staying with the eye line of character so that the audience is seeing what they see. At

other times the first person view is heavily utilized in the telling of this story object point of

view, subject point of view, and flash backs as shown in Figure .2 pg.7.

In Y Tu Mam Tambin(2001) the camera tracking and shaky handheld motion of the dialogue

scenes in and out, almost simulate the lust and emotions that the boys Tenoch an Juilo

experience. The wide panoramic shots and full frame scenes give that sense of adventure and

wonder as if the image is a profound epiphany of enlightenment. This is the feel of the wide or

full frame shots at first but latter on as the story progress we see the wide shots give confinement

and unwanted knowledge. In Figure 3 pg. 8we see the confinement and unwanted knowledge of

secrets and sad emotions. This feature film is 1 hr 46 min (106 min) and distributed on 35mm

film print .The movie was shot under the cinematography of academy award winging Emmanuel

Lubezki, whom also directed Children Of Men(2006) and Birdman(2014) . The film was shot

with a compact camera for a grainy soft focus pixelated quality film, the aspect ratio was 1.85 : 1

giving the film a set wide screen annotation. The color pallet and grayish hue of this film are

neutral organic and inorganic colors of somewhat uninteresting and realistic familiarity. As seen

in Figure 3 and Figure 4 pg.8 ,the dull but honest partials of the life that takes place on the scene.

The subtractive high key lighting also attribute to the natural realism of the film well that
International Film Comparison Major 6

produced nostalgic images as if a memory of long ago but unfolding again in ones mind, this

coincides with the telling of the movie. The cinematography of both films is remarkable but I

found the main difference to be the vibrancy of color and use of additive of subtractive lighting. I

understand that due to a different narrative of fantasy and real life. The main similarity of the

films cinematography is the importance of the camera movement and angle to give point of view.

After comparing the two films Amlie(2001) &Y Tu Mam Tambin(2001)from a narrative

perspective and cinematography perspective I can conclude that the films both are coming of

age narratives that give stark differences on the consequences of pursuing desires. Desires

shown either through sex or color of charters who continue to arch and develops the movie

progresses, will figure how to do things and how to deal with new feelings. I also didnt have

enough time to add the relation of visual effects, acting, editing and sound but I would like to

note that In the film Amlie(2001) the visual effects played a pivotal part in flash backs and the

editing played the part of allowing the audience to follow the story as it was intended from a first

person perspective . The sound in Amlie(2001) was so amazing that the surround panning of

ambient noise give so much to emerge the audience more into that first person point of view .

Also I would like to mention the musical score was so fun and played into the emotions of the

film. And both production designs and use of prop are a pivotal part of both the films narrative to

give a realistic feel as possible. Overall the films Amlie(2001) &Y Tu Mam Tambin(2001)

great films that I would recommend to any one for a more in-depth idea of how a films narrative

and issues play with and depend on the filmmakers choices in the filmmaking process..
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Figure. 1[ CITATION Jeu01 \l 1033 ] Amlie(2001)

Figure. 2[ CITATION Jeu01 \l 1033 ] Amlie(2001)

Figure.3 Y Tu Mam Tambin(2001)

Figure. 4 Y Tu Mam Tambin(2001)

References

Amazon.com. (1990). IMDb. Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com

Carrillo, H. (1999). Cultural Change, Hybridity and Male Homosexuality in Mexico. Culture,

Health & Sexuality, 223-238.

Cuaron, A. (Director). (2001). Y Tu Mam Tambin [Motion Picture].

Jeunet, J. P. (Director). (2001). Amlie [Motion Picture].

Price, S. (2012). Movies and Meanings : An Introduction To Film . Virgina : Pearson .

Webster, M. (2000). Merriam- Webster Dictonarty . Merriam- Webster Press.