This is like Mad Max in a post-apocalyptic world, but without the fast cars. Or spiky motorcycles. Or dead wife and baby. And it’s in France, with a circus performer turned handyman. So, maybe this ISN’T like Mad Max? Regardless, main actor Dominique Pinon does have a kick-ass boomerang knife called the Australian, so there IS a connection there.
This starts off in sepia-toned run-down French delicatessen (in said post-apocalypse kinda world, as mentioned previously), and one big-ass butcher sharpening a big fuck-you cleaver. Why, you may ask? Well, apparently, somebody may be trying to escape, wrapped in rags, disguised in the garbage. But...seems like that butcher don’t exactly want him to go. The apartment building has no qualms with this, their missing maintenance man is soon replaced by another via an ad in the SadSack Times or whatever the newspaper of the day is there, and the cycle begins again. But then throw in the butcher’s lovelorn daughter, some interesting characters in the building, a weird literally underground movement, and a couple of little punk kids that get into all kinds of shenanigans. Chaos ensues.
I swear I already DMR’d this one before, too. I’ve seen it multiple times over the years. I have it on disc. Even lost it to an ex-girlfriend and then replaced it. This movie establishes Juenet’s penchant for quirky storytelling with a pretty cool visual palette. Even the opening credit sequence is indicative of the interesting ride to follow. Some great unique camera angles and expressionisms from the actors, fantastic use of dark comedic tone and timing. Nice use of music throughout, and a post-apocalyptic love story at its core. And actually well told one, that doesn’t take place between and hedgehog and a poodle (damn you Peter Jackson and your haunting love stories). Jeunet’s follow-up The City of Lost Children is darker-themed but again a visually awesome one, and Amelie is also very stylish film he did a bit after that. The Alien 4 one? That one was weird. I guess it was a way to follow Fincher’s fuckery of the third installment of the franchise. I mean seriously, how do you follow that?
