DELICATESSEN



France, 1991, 97 min, color

A post-apocalyptic future becomes the setting for pitch black humor in this visually intricate French comedy. The action takes place within a single apartment complex, which is owned by the same man operates the downstairs butcher shop. It's 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, 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.

"On to this slim story, auteurs pile delicious comic details. Each grotesque inhabitant of the scrofulous tenement has his own little story; visually, the film evokes Gilliam, Lynch, the Coens and Carne, but the allusions never get in the way of the nightmarish humor. The sets, special effects, photography, pace and performances all contribute to comic-strip vivacity. Jeunet and Caro's fast, funny feature debut entertains from sinister start to frantic finish."