The 3-Act Structure of the movie "Amelie" (2001) by Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Act 1: Set-up

(Exposition & Inciting Incident)

Amelie Poulain is an only child of Raphael (An ex-army doctor) and Amandine (A school teacher who has shaky nerves). Raphael don't usually have physical contact with Amelie more often except for her monthly check-up with him. Because of their rare physical contact with each other, Amelie's heart beats faster whenever her father checks her which led her father to think that she has a heart defect. With this assumption, they decided to home school her. She was deprived to play with other children  that's why she entertain herself through her imaginations.  She has only one friend named Blubber, her goldfish. But when her Goldfish escaped from its fishbowl, Amandine became anxious about it and decided to throw it away even though it breaks Amelie's heart. A tragedy came to her life, when Amandine (Amelie's mother) was killed when a suicidal tourist jump off from the top of Notre Dame and hit Amandine. After that incident, Amelie received less affection from her father due to depression.

When Amelie grew old, she decided to leave their home and live in an apartment to work as a waitress at Two Windmills in MontMartre. She amuses herself with small pleasures and imaginations even asking silly questions about the world due to some few let downs from her past relationships like watching movies while looking at people's faces in the cinema, looking for small details in the movies, putting her hand inside the sack of grains, cracking creme brulee, and skipping stones in the Canal of St. Martin.

Act 2: Confrontation

(Rising Action, Conflict/Obstacles, & Climax)

In August 31, 1997, Amelie is watching a news report about Princess Diana's death and led her to find out something in her apartment. She discovered as small tin box behind her bathroom wall that contains toys, pictures and memories of a man. She decided to find the owner of the box and return it. If the owner will be amused because of what she will do, she will devote her life bringing happiness to other people.

While Amelie asked some of her neighbors about the guy who used to live in her apartment that must be the owner, She was able to know about the stories of them too. She led in consulting the parents of Collignon (The owner of the vegetable store near Amelie's apartment). Collignon's parents used to live in her apartment for a long time  that's why she received a possible name for the owner which is Dominique Bredoteau. She looks up to several Dominique Bredoteau but none of them was the real owner. Later, Dufayel (Amelie's neighbor who's a painter and kept on painting every year the Luncheon of the Boating Party by Pierre-Auguste Renoir) gave Amelie the correct spelling of the name which is Dominique Bretodeau and Amelie was able to find him. She secretly gave the box to Dominique and when he received it, he eventually cried because of his childhood memories. While Amelie was watching him crying because of his happiness, she thought that her act encourage him (Dominique) to go to his daughter and meet his grandson.

Amelie's next mission is to encourage her father to travel. So, she decided to steal her father's gnome and anonymously give pictures of the gnome travelling everywhere with the help of Amelie's friend who's a stewardess just to convince her father to travel to other countries.

One day at the train station, Amelie saw Nino Quincampoix who's fond of collecting torn-up pictures that he found underneath the photo booths. When Nino was chasing a man who he wants to know the true identity because he always see torn-up pictures of that man in every photo booth he went, his photo album fell from his motor bag and Amelie got it. She thought of returning it to Nino but she also wants to meet him and know him more. She visited a pornography shop where Nino is working and found out that he also works in a carnival. Amelie decided to set up some clues in order for her to meet him and return the book.

Meanwhile, on the Two Windmills, Amelie also tried to set Joseph to her co-worker Georgette so that Joseph would stop bothering Gina (Amelie's other co-worker). Amelie also decided to make a revenge against Collignon for Lucien. She also stole Madeleine Wallace's or Madame Wells (one of Amelie's neighbor) love letters from her husband to create a love letter about her husband apologizing to her which made Madame Wells happy after receiving it.

She continues to set up clues for Nino to meet her that made Nino interested to meet her too. She used the photo booth to make a clue by dressing up as Zorro and take a photo of herself with a note on how Nino will find her and torn it apart to add some twist in finding the clue which is to meet her at 4PM in the Two Windmills. And that time, she also found out the true identity of the man that Nino was looking for.

Amelie thought Nino didn't found the clue because he wasn't able to come on time. But eventually, Nino came and Amelie was too shy to talk to him that's why she just keep on sneeking up to him. Nino looked at Amelie and said that she was the girl in the picture (with the Zorro costume) but Amelie denied it. Amelie move distant to Nino because she was too shy to approach her, that's why she asked for Gina to put a note from her in Nino's pocket.

Act 3: Resolution

Characters that were mentioned: