City of Lost Children

The combination of two unique directorial sensibilities – Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s – has produced an equally unique film. The City of Lost Children is a spectacle of one-of-a-kind aesthetics and atmosphere, in which great credit is due to the superbly cast character actors, the César Award-winning production design by Jean Rabasse, and music by David Lynch’s favourite composer, Angelo Badalamenti. Together they have created a fascinating, grotesque fairy tale, a twisted and compelling world, a variation on the Frankenstein theme, and simultaneously a melancholy, wild, and romantic science fiction tale. In the film, we learn about the fates of eccentric, yet unfortunate characters: a lonely scientist who, out of despair, kidnaps neighbourhood children to create a family for himself, or a donkey with a heart of gold (Ron Perlman), travelling in search of a loved one taken from him.

Katarzyna Kebernik

Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet are a French directorial duo known for their unique vision, blending surrealism with meticulous attention to detail. Their breakthrough came with Delicatessen (1991), a dark comedy set in a post-apocalyptic world. They gained further acclaim with City of Lost Children (1995), a visually stunning, baroque fantasy. After this film, they went separate ways – Jeunet found success with the beloved Amélie (2001), while Caro focused on animation and special effects.