Synopsis

In a famine-stricken, post-apocalyptic France, an unemployed former clown takes a caretaker job in a rundown apartment building above a butcher shop. As the tenants depend on the butcher for scarce meat, the new arrival becomes the next intended victim. His growing romance with the butcher's daughter brings him into conflict with her family and the building's desperate residents.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film was the feature debut of its filmmaking team and grew out of an earlier, more expensive project that could not secure financing.

• Much of the apartment building was constructed inside a warehouse outside Paris. A miniature model was used for the exterior views.

• The production design, sound, costumes, and technical work were divided among the principal creative collaborators, reflecting the film's unusually integrated visual style.

• Jean-Pierre Jeunet has said the idea for the cannibal butcher was inspired by living above a butcher shop and hearing knives being sharpened early in the morning.

• The film won four Cesar Awards in 1992, including Best First Work, Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, and Best Production Design.

• For its North American release, the film was presented by Terry Gilliam, helping draw attention to its darkly comic, surreal atmosphere.