The films of Jean-Pierre Jeunet

I have a deep appreciation for quirky cinema.

That was my lead-in.

This is my follow-up: Jean-Pierre Jeunet is one of my favorite directors for this reason.

Most directors these days sacrifice art and emotion for profit. I understand. It's a fickle business and you can either make money while you're actually in the business or you upset the status quo and become unpopular and no one will ever finance one of your movies ever again. It's a choice between being a sell-out and a has-been.

Well, that's in Hollywood. In France, things are a little bit different. I'm assuming here, people. I have absolutely no information on the inner-workings of the French film industry. I'll stop posturing now.

So, this guy Jean-Pierre Jeunet... He's pretty awesome. He tends to set his stories in worlds that might seem an awful lot like the one in which we live, but it doesn't take long for you to realize that, nope, this story is happening someplace very far away. For example, in his 1991 film Delicatessen, seeds, beans, corn, peas, etc., are used as money. In The City of Lost Children (1995), cybernetic religious fanatics forcefully recruit followers while gangs of orphans roam the streets stealing anything they can find.

Jeunet uses many recurring themes in his stories: orphans, the disabled, revenge, carnies, dreamers. He launches his heroes and heroines forward with the understanding that the ends justify the means. Lying, stealing, breaking and entering... all are acceptable, provided that something honorable comes of it. Awkward romance awaits around every corner. Characters with odd talents and bizarre hobbies populate his universes.

Oh, and the films are all in French.

Below are some theatrical trailers for a few of his movies. I hope you will consider giving them a moment of your time.

Thank you,
      Matt Beers





This is one of my all-time favorites...