Tokyo Fiancée

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 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.

Tokyo Fiancée is an initiatory trip to finding your identity, Amélie (Pauline Etienne) embarks on a journey to find herself. Born in Japan from Belgian parents, she leaves Belgium for the country of her dreams, Japan. Marveling at a culture and a language she feels she missed out on and wants to absorb, but the metamorphosis is not as swift as she had hoped.

The film has the sensibility and beauty of Japanese and French film making. It's sweet, innocent and a bit dark. Slowly immersing the audience into a country, a city, and a culture it introduces Japan beautifully through Amélie and Rinri (Taichi Inoue)'s eyes. They both aspire to learn from each other and almost inevitably become close.

Amélie and Rinri may be culturally different but they seem to share the same quirkiness. The actors are both touching in the film, they made Rinri and Amélie feel real and natural. Pauline Etienne smartly portrayed Amélie's bubbly personality and her evolution throughout the movie. The movie also smartly integrated the events of Fukushima in the story, making the horrid fit into the atypical love story.

Tokyo Fiancée is not exactly a love story, more of a friendship love story. It shows Japan brilliantly, as exciting and slightly confusing as that it may be.

A romance comedy without clichees , that's very rare, and all beccause my favourite writer, the best of our days Amelie Nothomb,Pity the most of her novels can't be ecranized.

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.