The City of Lost Children is the second film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro, the first being the wonderful black comedy, Delicatessen. Although they have quite different styles, they have several cast members in common, both are presented in French with English subtitles, but most of all, both are wonderfully bizarre.

The movie centres on a genetically engineered mad scientist named Krank, who is ageing prematurely because he cannot dream. One solution to this problem is to kidnap children and steal their dreams. These kidnappings are performed by a religious gang known as the Cyclops in return for cybernetic visual and auditory gadgets. Ron Perlman plays One, a gentle strongman whose little brother is kidnapped during one such raid by the Cyclops. During One's search for his brother, we meet Ervin (a brain in a tank), a set of six clones (all played by Dominique Pinon), a gang of street-wise orphans made to steal for a Siamese twin, and many other curiosities.

The film is a magical story that approaches the style of a fairy-tale. Described by Leonard Maltin as "a mix of Oliver Twist and Brazil", The City of Lost Children is a wonderful cinematic experience. In visual terms alone, it is an amazing feat. The scenery and the sets combined with a range of digital effects and the bizarre characters and costumes give the entire film a dream-like quality that is, perhaps, appropriate given the importance ascribed to dreams in the movie. The film has been accused of placing style over substance, and this may be a fair criticism. The plot makes perfect sense, but seems a little convoluted, especially in the early part of the film. Despite this flaw, The City of Lost Children comes highly recommended.

Born on July 8, 1593 in Rome, during an era when many professions were forbidden to women, Artemisia Gentileschi was one of the first female painters to make a living as an artist. Merlet's speculative treatment of a chapter in Artemisia's life (many of the actual details from the period are unknown, so the film maker is able to fashion her own interpretation of the historical record) begins in 1610, the year when her artistic urges become too powerful to suppress, and ends in 1612, after a rape trial separates her from her mentor and lover, Agostino Tassi. Tassi, an artist working with Artemisia's father, Orazio, in painting a series of religious frescos, agreed to teach Artemisia after the girl's request for admission to the males-only Academy of Fine Arts was rejected. Their relationship, which improved Artemisia's understanding of the technical aspects of painting, eventually turned sexual, and led to Tassi's arrest on rape charges.

Italian-born Valentina Cervi (Portrait Of a Lady) plays the lead character with the right mix of innocence and sensuality. As essayed in this film, Artemisia is a brilliant, headstrong, passionate woman whose tribulations made her a better artist. Cervi's portrayal is stunning, giving us another young international actress who is as talented as she is beautiful. Appearing opposite Cervi is Miki Manojlovic, whose interpretation of Tassi is that of an older man hopelessly enraptured by a woman who should remain forbidden to him. Rounding out the main cast is veteran French actor Michel Serrault (La Cage Aux Folles, Nelly & M. Arnaud), who brings an air of quiet dignity to his performance as Orazio.