Jean Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro
Drama, France
French with English subtitles
Runtime 95 minutes
A post-apocalyptic future becomes the setting for pitch black humour in this visually intricate French comedy. The action takes place within a single apartment complex, which is owned by the same man that operates the downstairs butcher shop (Jean-Claude Dreyfus). It is a particularly popular place to live, thanks to the butcher’s uncanny ability to find excellent cuts of meat despite the horrible living conditions outside. The newest building superintendent, a former circus clown (Dominique Pinon), thinks he has found an ideal living situation. All that changes, however, when he discovers the true source of the butcher’s meat, and that he may be the next main course.
This dark tale is played out in a brilliantly designed, glorious surreal alternate world reminiscent of the works of director Terry Gilliam, who co-presented the film’s American release. Like Gilliam, co-directors Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amélie) and Marc Caro (The City of Lost Children) hail from an animation background, and have a fondness for extravagant visuals, absurdist plot twists, and a sense of humour that combines sharp satire with broad slapstick and gross-out imagery. This mixture may displease the weak of stomach, but those attuned to the film’s sensibility will be delighted by the obvious technical virtuosity and wicked sense of humour.
Screening at Saturday night at midnight on November 12 in the Al Whittle Theatre