reviews by Shannon Bowman-Sarkisian

Delicatessen

October, 2011—The post-apocalyptic world of Delicatessen is inhabited by quirky characters staving off starvation by eating people. Cannibalism isn’t humorous — and yet this film is often hilarious, thanks to the writing and direction by Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet of City of Lost Children fame. Fans of Jeunet’s contemporary classic Amelie will recognize the eccentric style he developed early on with Delicatessen. Dark skylines of decaying buildings contrasting with bright green and red interiors evoke various emotions from the audience. It isn’t a subtle manipulation, and yet Caro and Jeunet are masters at their craft. Everything from television sets to cookies has been carefully placed. This is a fully fleshed-out world.

Former clown Louison (Dominique Pinon) replies to a newspaper ad seeking a handyman to work in exchange for room and board. Unfortunately, the building owner (Jean-Claude Dreyfus), who is also the neighborhood butcher, is actually looking for dinner. The community has survived by eating the men who answer the ad. This plan has worked well enough until Louison comes along. The butcher’s daughter Julie (Marie-Laure Dougnac) falls for her future meal.

Caro and Jeunet leave many questions unanswered when Delicatessen reaches its conclusion, but perhaps we don’t need to know what caused the world’s destruction and whether or not Julie is a cannibal. It’s an enjoyable movie regardless, unique in its style and execution. Delicatessen succeeds in making an unsavory topic witty and fun.

Delicatessen, available on DVD, is rated R for violence. Running time: 99 minutes.

Children of Men

Quiet, heartbreaking and immediate, Children of Men takes place in a dystopian Britain. It is the year 2027 and the entire human race has been infertile for the past 18 years. War and ecological disaster have shaped this future. Non-native citizens are sent to ghettos. Fear is the driving force behind the government’s actions. No one is safe here. The stringent fascism creates the illusion of control, but it truly is only a façade. No amount of anti-immigration policy can save a sterile people.

Theodore Faron (Clive Owen) is a former activist turned office worker who becomes enmeshed in a plan to save the human race. His ex-wife (Julianne Moore) suddenly reenters Theo’s life asking for illegal travel passes for a young immigrant girl named Kee (Clare-Hope Ashitey) in order to bring her to the mysterious — and possibly imaginary — Human Project, which may be able to help both the girl and humanity as a whole.

Director Alfonso Cuarón (Y Tu Mamá También) has captured the anxieties we currently face with Children of Men. The plight of these fictional characters is all too familiar. This is our story, our terror, told through the story of an ambivalent man who finds hope. How many of us have also given up? Although Children of Men is a bleak and desperate look at our future, it is also an optimistic look at human nature.

Children of Men, available on DVD, is rated R for strong violence, language, some drug use and brief nudity. Running time: 109 minutes.