Tokyo Fiancée

Amélie (Pauline Ètienne) is a twenty year old Belgian expatriate, French tutor living in Japan. When Rinri's (Taichi Inoue) well-to-do father hires Amélie to teach his son, the two quickly fall in love. Although Amélie was born in Japan and adores everything about its culture, she painfully learns that that is not enough to be accepted in Japanese society. Will Rinri, a closet Francophile and lover of Yakuza film, find the balance needed to present Amélie to his family as an honorable Japanese woman?

Pauline Ètienne's Amélie shares the quirkiness of Audrey Tautou's character in the film of the same name ("Amélie"), all the allure of Scarlett Johansson's Charlotte from "Lost in Translation," and the gullibility of Shirley MacLaine's Charity Hope Valentine of "Sweet Charity." What separates "Tokyo Fiancée" from the aforementioned trio of hopeless romantic tales is the absolutely breathtaking scenery that cameraman Hichame Alaouié deftly captures. "Tokyo Fiancée" is a cinematic engagement worth accepting.

Being a certified Japanophile I did enjoy this film, but realize it is not for everyone. There were many fascinating shots of different locales throughout Tokyo and nearby Hakone, including a breathtaking view of Fuji San.

The actress in the lead part did remind me somewhat of Audrey Tautou in "Amelie," but was not entirely convincing as a romantic partner. Although nominally a full-grown woman, age 20, she looked much younger.

The bulk of the film centers around the developing relationship between Amelie and her Japanese student Rinri. She starts helping him improve his French language skills, and they grow closer. It is never quite clear to me, at least, whether their attraction is personal or cultural, which may be one of the messages of the film.

For a much more interesting view of a relationship between a Japanese man and a non-Japanese woman, take a look at the YouTube channel "Rachel and Jun" which is about a charming young married couple. Rachel is from the U.S. and Jun is native Japanese, but whose command of English is extraordinary.

It's very common in the western films about interracial romance, mainly because it's happening and that's how the societies are made, particularly the North America. And it's not same when you seek similar themed films from the east. It is a less explored concept as far I know. Even this one is a Belgium film that entirely takes place in Japan.

I like this kind of film. It helps to realise what are all kinds of complications we could face in the same situation. In fact, I'm too a Japanophile, as well as Francophile. So this film is both of them. It's a cross culture, but fun to experience, especially if you adore that culture as much as your own life.

This film was about a young Belgian woman named Amelie, who actually was born in Japan, but later in her childhood she had returned to native along with her parents. Now in her 20s, she came back for the love she has for Japan. The first thing she does was advertising about her private French tutorial. Then she gets a student, a young Japanese fellow who already somewhat knows the language. They roam the city, experience the culture and society, and picks up the words, which is translated to French as part of learning/teaching.

As expected, they fall in love and that's where the trouble arises. Because it's not America, where a Japanese man and a French woman has no complications, particularly culturally. But here the cultural significance stands between them. The language of romance is universal, but how to express it in behaviour is a series of obstacle.

Amelie loves everything about Japan, even she climbs Mr Fuji to be a true Japanese and it helps her to rediscover herself in the tough time. Yet she finds a little hard to adapt the way of Japanese lifestyle. Possibly in every single thing. From raw food to falling in love, meeting her future in-laws, getting engaged and all.

❝A real Japanese has to climb Mt Fuji.❞

I thought the film would be in the line of 'My Darling is a Foreigner', but it was like 'Amélie' and 'Citizen Dog'. It's more a girlish kind of film, but can be enjoyed by all category adult audiences. The character Amelie is similar to those two titles from the above I mention. You will like her, probably fall for her. The film looks beautiful mainly because of her, the actress who played it was the backbone of the film. When everything was going quite nicely, then all the sudden an unexpected conclusion emerges. I really did not like it.

My first reaction was, how could possibly they ruin this beautiful film with such a bad end. I thought the writer failed to come up with something to make a better climax. I was disappointed with the finale, but my stance changed when I learnt it was a biopic, which I did not know earlier. Yep the film was based on the autobiographical book of the same name.

The story sets in around the time Fukushima nuclear disaster, but the problem is the dates does not match, as the book came years earlier. Anyway, that event has a big influence to this tale to wrap up. So when a film is based on the real, I like as it is than any alteration. From the outside, it looks like 'Before Sunrise', but there are lots of differences.

What this film teaches us is, it's easy to love other cultures, but proving isn't. There should be lots of sacrifices to be made, especially if is a relationship, not love found in the culture as an individual person. The film was very enjoyable. You can learn many things about Japan through the film.

The casting was excellent and so the locations. Probably a bit underrated film, as well as not recognised widely. Those who saw it, considering it from the entertainment perspective, but most them are not aware that it was inspired by the real. I think it is worth a watch, especially if you love Japan and its culture, definitely not to be missed.

7/10

Amélie (Pauline Etienne) was born in Kansai but she is Belgian, unfortunate twist of fate as she stubbornly wants to become « a venerable Japanese writer ». So at the age of 20 Amelie leaves Belgium for Japan to realize her dream. There, to earn her living, she teaches french to Rinri (Taichi Inoue), a young Japanese french culture enthusiast, as sweet and charming as he is sometimes impenetrable… From the ryokans on Sado Island to the streets of Shinjuku, in the intimacy of a cozy room on a rainy and bathing in the hot water of onsens, Amélie and Rinri take a great delight in being together, like enamored kids exploring the pleasures of love, between complicity, fondness and sensuality. But in the mist of discovery and fantasy, it is sometimes difficult to answer the most important : who am I, what do I want ?

Through breast-taking shots of Japanese city, suburbs, rivers and mountains, Stefan Liberski offers a coming-of-age film in the form of a playful comedy, funny, light but not always as light as it seems, brought to life by a remarkable pair of actors.

"Delicious, yes, that's the word."

Amélie (Pauline Etienne) was born in Japan. She always wanted to be Japanese despite born to Belgian parents and moving back to Belgium when she was five. She's 20 and tries to immerse herself in the Japanese culture. She gets hired by Rinri as a private French tutor. He's her only student. They grow closer together. She gets an one-year contract with a large Japanese company. She hates her job and Rinri proposes to her. She's reluctant and then the 2011 tsunami hits Japan.

Most of this has a charming Lost in Translation feel. The romance also has its charms. Pauline Etienne has an endearing wide-eyed persona. Her character does a turn in her attitude. There should be more to that part of the story. The tsunami is a splash of cold water from the real world. The last act is a little abrupt. Overall, this is a charming little movie.