Delicatessen

A masters course in bizarreness. It’s hard to say what Delicatessen is about, but it’s set in such a weird world that it doesn’t matter. There were moments when I felt that the film’s efforts to look so fundamentally different and original are so obvious that they actually harm it. In any case, the visuals are beautiful, the direction is brimming with interesting ideas and the humour can be so goofy that it’s impossible not to laugh. Interesting experience. (05/05/2009)

There's not an inch of that building the film doesn't explore. Voices carry through empty water pipes, guerrilla sewer commandos shimmy up the risers, the sound of knives sharpening carries through the air ducts, and if somebody’s humping on an old rickety bed, their tempo simply sets the rhythm of the whole building as the sound of screeching couples carries down the chimney shaft throughout the structure. Anyone who has ever lived in an old apartment building in Paris will immediately understand where the authors got the idea. I once stayed for a week in a cheap hotel, spending most of my time trying to figure out why my room smelled like rotting garbage. After two days, I discovered gaping pipes under the bed, coming out of the floor and leading to God knows where, with the smell pouring out of them. Every morning I plugged them with toilet paper and every evening I found them leaking again and the toilet paper in the trash. Room service for the master. Anyway, it's still strongly evident in Delicatessen that Jeunet and Caro are originally animators, because all the live actors who wander around this morbid dollhouse act like cartoon characters too, they look like it, and the film mostly frames them that way. If nothing else, the film can always serve as a catalogue of positions to put the camera in. (29/07/2020)

A bizarrely served movie delicacy with a hint of decadence. And it’s all presented in indescribably wonderful sepia visuals. Although it is just an experiment with no story, the atmosphere of the old decrepit tenement block and its rather quirky tenants is engrossing... In a bizarrely delicious way. (22/01/2007)

Jeunet and Caro have such a uniquely darkly grotesque poeticism that resisting their film is quite challenging. It's humorous, even when you realize that the story you're being told is actually a horror story. The cast fits perfectly, and Dominique Pinon showcases not only his clowning abilities but also his acting. (22/02/2016)

An amazing world and a perfect film at the same time. This film breaks away from just about everything and goes its own original way with some pretty twisted characters laced with dark humour and brilliant audio-visuals. At times, Delicatessen took my breath away. Strong 4. France in full force. 80%. (18/12/2015)