Paris, Je t'aime!

When I was in kindergarten, my favorite show was Madeleine, a cartoon based on Ludwig Bemelmans' book series of the same title. This had been popular during the 90's and had spawned several adaptations like a live-action film. My love for the show led me to developing a sort of instinctive adoration for France (the process of which, as I reflect upon it now, is actually quite shallow.)


In grade school I was also a big Europe junkie. (Blame Rowling.) When Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was released and I found out that one of the visiting schools is French, I finally gave into my craving and asked one of my cousins to buy me a French dictionary. Right now, it's lying in front of me atop my Schaum grammar book.

Although I went through an Asian phase during high school, recently my "instinctive love" grew back through Stephanie Perkins' Anna and the French Kiss (I mentioned this in an earlier post) so now I'm back to silently worshiping the French, starting with the 2006 movie, Paris, Je t'aime (Paris, I love you).

The theatrical poster. Image taken from wikipedia.org

Paris, Je t'aime is a collection of eighteen short romantic stories set in the different arrondissements,  or administrative districts, of Paris. There are actually twenty arrondissements but two weren't included because they couldn't be properly fit into the film. Each story was directed by a different director but an additional of two directors (Emmanuel Benbihy and Frédéric Auburtin) worked on the transitions between stories. There are familiar faces: Natalie Portman (one of my favorite actresses, though her presence in the film was not as commanding as I thought it would be), Gaspard Ulliel (who was very unrecognizable in his hairstyle), and Elijah Wood.

The short stories are all heartwarming. As a viewer, I didn't just experience the romance-- I also felt connected to Paris as well. It's a very beautiful city. Most of the scenes were shot in the streets so I had the notion of being heavily immersed in life there. My favorite segments would be the ones set in Quais de Seine, Bastille, Faubourg Saint-Denis and Quartier Latin. The last segment is already a given favorite, I guess.

Usually when a film is directed by many directors it ends up a disappointment, but the very fact that it is is what makes the film enjoyable. The directors succeeded in bringing their individuality to their stories. Take Nobuhiro Suwa's Place des Victoires as an example. The imaginary cowboy stunt is very Japanese.

Who knows, I might be lucky enough to go to France someday-- maybe even live in it. Until then, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.