Cuisine d’Amélie

Cram any more whimsy into this movie and it would gradually morph into a season of Cirque du Soleil. We often think that Amélie, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s vibrant 2001 French rom-com, is maybe so well-received on this side of the Atlantic because it provides a nearly perfect rendering of the magical Paris that Americans imagine—rife with accordion music, cafés, and chain-smoking bohemians. It was also the ideal vehicle for Audrey Tautou’s preternatural talent at being adorable and staring up at something slightly to her right. But really we love Amélie because it touches on themes not cartoonish at all—the struggle of the shy person to avoid an isolation both comfortable and soul-decimating. So, leave the safety of your couch, and see it with some people as part of the “Film Feast” series. Chef Sara Nguyen will serve up a five-course meal of classic French cuisine with absinthe pairings by Pernod. Early arrivers can drop in for a free language workshop on French slang.

Tue., March 19, 7:30 p.m., 2013