delicatessen be hard to pin down under a specific genre label while it a surreal black comedy and a human drama and a post apocalyptic horror movie and a twisted thriller and a futuristic fantasy while and all in all while one of the strange and most original film i have ever see . in this fantasy world and the world have be ravage and food be now in short supply . this have therefore make food invaluable and it be be use a currency . thing be trade for with grain and corn and lentil and but not everyone can afford the luxury of food and and some have have to resort to cannibalism to continue to enjoy eat . our scene open at a delicatessen in an unspecified location in france and and we be treat to an absolutely delicious sequence ( no pun intend ) in which a man be desperately try to hide himself in the trash can . we later find that the reason for this be that this particular delicatessen hire handyman and keep them long enough to fatten them up and and then they be eat by the delicatessen butcher and the inhabitant of the apartment building in which they live . the story really get go when an ex clown turn up at the shop and want the handyman job and which have . become available . the plot thicken when the new handyman meet and and later fall in love with and the butcher daughter while julie . julie know what go on at the delicatessen and can not allow her new find love to meet the same fate a the others and and therefore do the only thing she can do while hire a band of vegetarian freedom fighter to save her love from become dinner for the butcher and his customer . delicatessen be direct by the team of marc caro ( whom and i be afraid and i be unfamiliar with ) and the more well know jean pierre jeunet and director of a few less know modern classic and but best know for the enthusiastic amelie . the film be bring to life by a brilliant ensemble cast . dominique pinon ( who also feature in jeunet amelie and alien 4 and city of lost child ) take the lead role of the clown turn handyman . his performance be both understated and magical while a he simultaneously manage to entice the viewer into his performance and and yet keep his character in the realm of reality ( a place in which this film doesn not take place ) . jean claude dreyfus be the real star of the show and however and a the extroverted and over the top butcher . his performance certainly isn not subdue and to say the least while and every moment that he be on screen be a delight . in a stark contrast to dreyfus and marie laure dougnac while the young lady that play his daughter and love interest for pinon be very down to earth and and be the most normal character in the film . although there still room for her to be a nearly blind klutz . the rest of the ensemble come together excellently and and not a single actor in the film performs below par or look out of place while and there not many film that you can say that for . this film isn not quite like anything else i have ever see . in fact and the only film i can think of that be similar to this be terry gilliam futuristic fantasy while brazil . the film draw it originality from it plot mainly and which be extremely surreal and inventive in itself and but it not just that which make delicatessen one of a kind while it all the small plot point . how many film do you know that feature a bullshit detector . ( that be set off when the butcher tell it that life be wonderful and no less ) . the way that the film look be also wonderfully different while delicatessen have a yellow hue and which lend it a style that be very dull and dreary while and that do the film no end of favour when you consider it core subject material . the yellow hue also make the film almost feel like a move comic book and which be one of the thing that give the film it surreal and absurd edge . i be a big fan of atmospheric film and which be one of the main reason why i like horror so much while and this film also have an atmosphere like no other . it the way that the yellow ish building look next to the dark skyline and and the way that the film use darkness and smoke to make it more horrifying ( see roof sequence towards the end ) that give this film the finishing touch to it already distinct style . the love story in the film be sweet and tender and and this very much offset the dark overtone of the rest of the film . this be nice and a during the scene between the clown ( pinon ) and julie ( dougnac ) and the film allow itself to indulge in humour that isn not dark like the rest of the film and and you get the impression that it enjoy itself a little more . this be just another thing in a long line of great thing that make delicatessen a great movie . another of these thing be the more minor character . i have never see a more motley crew than the one in this film . a previously mention and julie and although not entirely normal and be the most normal character in the film while the rest of it be populate by lunatic . there a man with a house full of frog and a woman that continually try to commit suicide and a man that put can on his deaf mother in law so they know where she be etc . the support cast wackiness do not add anything much to the story itself ( which only really require them to be there ) and but the fact that they be different and imaginative be another of the film absurd edge and and another thing that make this film different from everything else . delicatessen concentrate more on be absurd and surreal than it do in pose deep and philosophical question . personally and i have no problem with that and but those who do want a movie to be deep and meaningful might find the film disappointing because of that . that be not to say that the film completely lack depth or mean while although a moral to the story doesn not seem to present itself and the film take it depth from the what if scenario that it present while if the world food supply become too short to fee the population and would you resort to cannibalism or join the vegetarian freedom fighter . it a very general message while but it definitely there . overall and delicatessen be a sublime piece of cinema . you wont find imagination and inventiveness to the extent that it be show here in most film and and that alone be reason enough to warrant this classic status . delicatessen be everything i say it be and more while and overall the film be one of the true highlight of the 1990 . a gem .