A lot of movies are called “magical”, and they tend to star either Tom Hanks or an animal but, if you're like me, seeing such movies are rarely a treat you want to partake in. This gorgeous, inventive, joyous, dark and utterly unique film is truly magical in a way that very few films can claim. When I first viewed it, it changed my framework for what a film can be and, despite sounding trite, it touched me deeply.
Directors Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet, whose imagination and vision make them seem otherworldly when compared to other directors working in the same genre, are also the minds behind the The City of Lost Children; Jeunet alone is responisble for the sugary crowd pleaser Amelie and for those only familiar with the Audrey Tatou romance, Delicatessen will seem nightmarish. It's a shadowy and harsh post-apocalyptic tale where people eat each other to stay alive and an underground group of terrorist vegetarians fight to change the dreary and dangerous world.
But it's still a gripping love story and one of the most spectacular looking movies you're guaranteed to ever see. Just look at title sequence and the trailer which still look fresh and innovative compared to… well, every trailer out there today.
But what do you think?