Delicatessen

Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s (Amélie, A Very Long Engagement) debut feature fully deserves its status as a cult success and remains as fresh and innovative almost 20 years since its release.

The directors take us into a world outside time and space, where absurdity and the weird rule. An ex-clown (Louison) arrives in an apartment building run by the butcher Clapet, who hires him as a handyman. There is mystery surrounding the disappearance of Louison’s predecessor as well as the origin of Clapet’s source of meat. Our protagonist’s adventure is thrown into further confusion by the quirky tenants of the building and a budding romance with the butcher’s daughter.

The term dark comedy could not find a more fitting home than in Caro and Jeunet’s film. The morbid subject matter is offset by the hilarity of the characters, faces and actions.

Only this film will have your sides splitting while watching a failed suicide attempt in one of the most striking sequences of cinema.

Delicatessen gives free reign to Caro and Jeunet’s visual flair as they take us into a world as perverse and idiosyncratic as those created by Jan Svankmajer or the Brothers Quay. It is a treat for the eyes and reminds us of the great potential inherent within the cinematic medium.