Available March 25th, 2025 from Severin
In this surrealist dark comedy from the director of Amelie, a man moves into a building filled with peculiar characters and their issues.
Written by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Marc Caro, and Gilles Adrien, and directed by Jeunet and Caro, Delicatessen is a fantastic post-apocalyptic black comedy that is charming and at times a little disturbing, making for a fascinating watch that is engrossing and a little bit thought provoking. The writing and direction here are intertwined so deeply it is hard to separate these from each other and thus are to be viewed as one element, one of the filmmakers’ work where the writing and direction are careful and beautiful while bringing a dark story to the viewer that also has plenty of humor and, most importantly, humanity. By focusing on people outside of the most privileged circles, those with the least in life, and giving them an almost child-like hope in a difficult situation, the film makes the most of its characters by making them three-dimensional and very much human and touching. These characters have souls, their stories are almost realistic (well not really, but in this set-up, they are), and they make for a fascinating bunch of weirdos (the good kind) to watch get together, argue, fall in love, and make like livable in a difficult time.
This cast of characters is played by the creme de la creme of oddity French cinema, led by Dominique Pinon as Louison, Marie-Laure Dougnac as Julie Clapet. The two of them are fantastic leads here, giving strong yet vulnerable performances filled with nuance. They are the leads, and they make the film what it is performance-wise. Joining them is a seriously strong supporting cast that includes Jean-Claude Dreyfus, Pascal Benezech, Karin Viard, Rufus, and many more. The film is filled to brim with fun, eccentric performances that work perfectly for the story.
Visually, Delicatessen is a masterpiece of planning, design, and execution. Every inch of the decor is done with talent and passion, with an understanding of the universe being created. The same can be said of the wardrobe which works perfectly in the settings and for each character. Elements here lead easily in the Jeunet’s better know (by the general public) Amélie, or as it is known to French-speakers Le Fabuleux Destin d’ Amélie Poulain, while being a whole lot darker in approach and mood. The film here is also filmed beautifully with cinematography by Darius Khondji (and team) bringing the story to life in just the right way with the right colors and the right light. There is a ton on the screen here and the cinematography by Darius Khondji is fantastic in how it brings it all into view, together, as a film that is cohesive in looks and story.
Delicatessen is one of those films that is worth looking for and now it’s been made easier to find by the folks at Severin. The film itself is masterful and thus is one more than worth bringing to high definition and giving the grand treatment like this company does. Here, the transfer looks and sounds great on Blu-ray (the format this review is on) with a more than decent bunch of extras which will take plenty of time to get through. Film nerds should be quite happy with this new release. The main points of attraction in the extras here are the ones the involve Jeunet like the audio commentary and an interview with him and Marc Caro who gets his own interview. The feature on the making of is interesting and the archival interviews are great. Of course, any fan of Jeunet is going to be happy with the inclusion of his short film Le Bunker de la Derniere Rafale.