Delicatessen (1991)

nTitle: Delicatessen (1991)

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nDirectors: Marc Caro, Jean Pierre Jeunet

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nCast: Dominique Pinon, Marie Laure Dougnac

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nReview:

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nJean Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro are two French directorsnwho started out both of their careers working together, jointly directing films.nThey started out directing a short film called The Bunker of the Last Gunshotsn(1981), which coincidently same as Delicatessen, was also a post apocalypticnfilm! But it was Delicatessen that marked the first time the creative duo collaboratednon a full length feature film. They then worked together on what is undoubtedlynconsidered their masterpiece, The City of Lost Children (1995), an amazing filmnthat I keep getting lost in over and over again. Highly urge anyone who hasn’t seennit to give it a try, trust me, if you like layered and visually rich films, younwon’t regret it. As it often happens with explosively creative duos like thisnone, Jeunet and Caro ended up parting ways, each going off to make their ownnfilms. Of the two, Jean Pierre Jeunet has been the one with the more prolific cinematicncareer. Jeunet went on to direct Alien Resurrection (1997), Amelie (2001), AnVery Long Engagement (2004) and most recently Mic Macs (2009); while Caro has onlyndirected a science fiction film called Dante 0.1 (2008) which in my opinion wasna visually interesting film, but ultimately, a let down. Even though Caro hasn’t directed asnmany films, he’s always kept busy in one way or another working as artisticndirector on various films, including Gaspar Noe’s Enter the Void (2009). I reallynenjoyed the two films these directors collaborated on and Delicatessen’s wherenit all began. This film is so unique, I think it’s one of the few “art house” post apocalyptic films ever made! 

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nDelicatessen tells the tale of Louison, a handyman/ex circusnclown that’s looking for a job. Things are pretty bad in this post-apocalypticnworld ravaged by war. People are living in extreme poverty, barely able to eatnat the end of the day. The film centers on the tenants of an apartment buildingnwhich has a butcher shop on the ground floor. The landlord is also the owner ofnthe delicatessen. Every now and again, he sells meat to his tenants in exchangenfor grain. But he doesn’t have meat to sell all the time; meat is a rarencommodity during these difficult times. When Louison notices the “help wanted” onnthe Delicatessens window, he decides to take the job. Louison asks whatnhappened to the previous handyman, but all they tell him is that one day henmysteriously disappeared. What really happened to the previous maintenance man?

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nSo there are various reasons why I love the films that Jeunet andnCaro directed together. They have this look and feel to them, such attention isnpaid to the mood that the visuals are to evoke, ultimately, I guess it’s Caro’s touchnin art direction that makes these films such a wonder to look at. If you don’tnbelieve me, just check out the films opening credits, they immediately let younknow you are in for a specially crafted film. Delicatessen is a film fillednwith visual gags and lots of dark humor. It has some slapstick in it as well, executed by the comedic talents of frequent Jeunet and Caro collaborator, the great Dominique Pinon.nA scene that shows us just how creative these guys can be is one in which everyntenant in the building is going about their daily business at the same beat, innunison, in synchronicity with the love making of one of the couples in thenapartment. It’s a hilarious scene! So even though this is a dark film, it is brilliantlynmixed with comedic situations and visual gags galore, which is something that distinguishesnJeunet and Caro’s films. Originally, the first film that Jeunet and Caro wantednto make was The City of Lost Children, but since their careers where justngetting started, they didn’t have the clout to get the funding necessary tonmake their dream project. The budget needed to bring The City of Lost Childrennto life was too high and so they had to settle for making a smaller (yet stillnprofitable) film which ended up being Delicatessen. But you wouldn’t know thisnis a smaller budget film by looking at Delicatessen; the film looks just asngood as anything the duo ever directed. It was thanks to the critical successnof Delicatessen, they finally got the money they needed for what is in mynopinion still their grand masterpiece: The City of Lost Children.  

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nDelicatessen speaks about war, and famine and how difficultnit is for “the people” to survive when their governments make it so difficultnfor them to live, essentially turning the world into a ‘dog eat dog world’. Innthe film, the characters resort to cannibalism to survive, they eat each othernin order to make it, the symbolisms aren’t that hard to grasp. I’m sure a lotnof you out there can sympathize with this idea, things being as difficult as theynare in the world right now, some countries aren’t calling this a recession, somencountries are calling this a depression. Like the great depression of the 1930’s,nunemployment skyrockets, people get desperate, crime rises. In Delicatessen, Louisonnrealizes that desperate times can make humans act in evil ways when he says “Nobodynis entirely evil, it’s the circumstances that make them evil, or they don’t knownthey are doing evil” Which is a very true sentiment. The other day I wasnwalking to the movie theater (to see The Avengers!) and this desperate lookingnindividual asked me and my friends for some money to buy something at BurgernKing; we kept walking because the guy looked like he could try and actually mugnus, I mean the guy had this “I’ll kill you” look on his face! Point is, I rememberntelling my friend the exact same thing that this film is trying to express. “Therenare situations in life that can make us do evil things” I said. I also told hernhow maybe that man isn’t naturally an evil person, but his need for money mightnmake him attack us. Hunger, drug addiction, poverty, these are things that cannmake any man attack another; which is what this film is trying to illustratenwith its cannibalism theme. Sadly, such is the world we are living in.

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nBut there is of course hope in the middle of the sadness. InnDelicatessen Louison falls in love with one of the tenants, and so as WillynWonka would say “a good deed shines in a dark world”. Yes my friends, at heart,nDelicatessen is actually a romantic and at times even poetic film. Delicatessennhas a positive message after all. Love conquers all evil. The world might benturning into a desperate place, but Louison and his new love play to the beatnof their own drum, they dance to the rhythm of their own music. I also enjoyednhow the film sometimes focuses on these two kids who emulate Louison and Julienin their ways. In this sense, the film is also trying to tell us that hope liesnin future generations, and what we teach them, so in the end, Delicatessen isnnot as dark a film as it seems. Highly recommended!

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nRating: 5 out of 5

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