Talking About Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Amélie with our guest, Costume Designer Antoinette Messam
On this episode of Movies We Like, we speak with costume designer Antoinette Messam about her incredible career in film and one of her favorite movies, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s magical 2001 film Amélie.
We have a fascinating conversation with Antoinette about her journey into costume design, including rebelling against family expectations, finding her way from fashion to film, and learning on the job. She shares amazing stories about her experience collaborating with directors like Ryan Coogler (Creed), F. Gary Gray (Lift), and Jeymes Samuel (The Harder They Fall, The Book of Clarence), and dressing icons like Sylvester Stallone and Michael B. Jordan.
When it comes to Amélie, we dive deep into the stunning use of color and how it brings the whimsical world to life. Antoinette explains how the color palette was meticulously constructed through collaboration between the director, production design, costume, and more – truly effortless worldbuilding. We also discuss the joyful spirit of the film, Audrey Tautou’s masterful performance, and how the music perfectly complements the visuals.
Our chat with Antoinette gives rare insight into the art of costume design and the magic of movies. Amélie is a vibrant, feel-good film with incredible attention to detail that we highly recommend. We have an amazing time learning from Antoinette’s experiences and perspectives on this delightful movie.
Film Sundries
- Find Antoinette on the web or Instagram
- Watch this on Apple or Amazon, or find other places at JustWatch
- Script Options
- Theatrical trailer
- Letterboxd
The Next Reel’s Family of Film Podcasts
- Cinema Scope
- The Film Board
- Freely Adapted (coming soon!)
- Movies We Like
- The Next Reel
- The Next Reel Shorts (retired)
- One Minute for Old Men (coming soon!)
- The Saturday Matinée (retired)
- Silver Linings (retired)
- Sitting in the Dark
- Three of a Kind (retired)
- Trailer Rewind (retired)
