Micmacs
/
2009
DIRECTOR: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
WRITTEN BY: Jean-Pierre Jeunet & Guillaume Laurent
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Tetsuo Nagata
BUDGET: $30.8 million
GROSS: $16.7 million
Few directors take full advantage of the medium in which they work like Jean-Pierre Jeunet. One of the premier directors of the last few decades, Jeunet is one of those film makers for me, whose name on a film is reason enough to go see it. And Micmacs was yet another example of him at the top of his game.
When he was a boy, Bazil's father was killed by a landmine in morocco. Years later, by a completely random turn of events, he himself was shot by a stray bullet. He survived but lost his job and ended up on the street - there are some brilliant scenes during this part of the film that harken back to classic silent film and would make Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin proud.
While on the streets he meets a group of eccentric junk yard dealers who take him into their "family" (you got a contortionist, an ex convict, a math genius, a human cannonball, etc... you get the idea). One day, by complete chance, he stumbles upon the two weapons manufacturers that built the landmines that killed his dad and the bullets that hit him. With the help of his friends he begins an intricate plan to destroy them both...
There are obviously many ways this story could be told. But, imagine it in the hands of the director of Delicatessen and Amelie. Well, it’s even better then you imagined. Jeunet is at the top of his game and the film is a brilliantly conceived and accomplished dark comedy/quirky fable that is more than just a feast for your eyes.
Unlike other film makers who can create a great visual experience, Jeunet is able to bring all the pieces together to make great films. The characters, the script and the complete originality had me engaged and excited throughout - it had my eyes and ears glued to the screen.
i was excited by every scene and to see where the film would take me... and speaking of the visual style: it isn't a gimmick here. it encompasses the characters and the story and the way the story is told. it all works together perfectly.