10 Seriously Weird Sci-Fi Movies That Deserve Your Attention
7. The City Of Lost Children (1995)
Jean-Pierre Jeunet is one of the most talented directors to come out of France in the 1990s, and while his debut black comedy/sci-fi film Delicatessen is undoubtedly weird, his third film, he co-directed with Marc Caro in 1995 stands as his strangest one yet.
The City of Lost Children is a science fiction film, but it's also a fantasy set in a bizarre dystopia typical of Jeunet's style. The film is centered around Krank, an intelligent, yet vicious being created by a scientist who is incapable of dreaming. Without the ability to dream, he is aging prematurely, leading to an early but certain death.
To combat this, he uses a machine to steal the dreams of children living in the city outside his lair, which is an abandoned oil rig he shares with the other creations made by the scientist, who aid him in his efforts.
Visually, the film is dark and gritty, yet colorful in places, making the palette into a character all its own. The story and characters are engrossing, and while many aspects of the movie can be disturbing, it only serves to make it more intriguing, odd, and surreal. If you've never seen it, it's well worth your time.