Things I like, Things I don’t like, by Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Posted by on Sunday, August 8th, 2010 at 8:21 pm.

Film of the Week

Foutaises, or Things I like, Things I don’t like by Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Since BFI Southbank wheeled out that classic of modern French cinema – The City of Lost Children – at the weekend, I thought we could wheel out one of Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s films that you probably haven’t seen, Foutaises.

In Alexander Ballinger’s brilliant book, New Cinematographers, Darius Khondji says that he was always terrified of losing control when  shooting City of Lost Children, because of the size and scale of the movie. Seemingly there was no such danger on Foutaises, shot in 1999, six years before Jeunet could command enormous budgets and cinematographers of the likes of Khondji.

The English title, Things I like, Things I don’t like, will explain a lot for those who can’t rustle up a bit of French, although we have here a version with English sub-titles, so no problem. It has a wonderfully presented title sequence (I love unusual titles) which probably took as long to set-up and shoot as most of the rest of the of film, which is about 50% found or archive footage.

It has it’s classic (odd but – in the world he presents – somehow totally fitting) Jeunet moments, but really, as much as any decent short film, it’s a lesson to take inspiration from those things nearest and dearest to your heart. If you do that (and you can somehow keep control of the wild beast that it is planning, shooting and editing a film) then you’re likely to have something that feels authentic and (however odd the film may be) honest. Herein endeth the lesson.

  • Gerardo

    It’s cool, in Jeunet’s Amelie I remember the characters being introduced through what they like and what they don’t.. using pretty much the same editing style!