Plot

A scientist in a surrealist society kidnaps children to steal their dreams, hoping that they slow his aging process.

Set in a dystopian society, someone is kidnapping the children. Krank and his band of clones are using the children to harvest their dreams. Then they kidnap Denree, the brother of One, a fairground strongman. One sets out to find his brother.—grantss

On a mist-shrouded rig in the sea, beyond an old minefield, Krank (Daniel Emilfork) ages prematurely because he lacks one vital function: the ability to dream. And so he kidnaps children from the harbour town, to steal their happy dreams from them. But a child he takes is also the little brother of carnival strongman One (Ron Perlman), who sets out to rescue him with the help of his precocious young, orphaned friend Miette (Judith Vittet).

With this follow-up to the black comedy gem Delicatessen, directors Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amelie) and Marc Caro transport us to a dark and nightmarish universe where cynical adults long for the innocence of childhood. In a derelict port, a joyless genius has children abducted so their dreams can be harvested. It's left to the local circus strongman and an unusually mature street-kid to rescue their friends.

Krank (Daniel Emilfork), who cannot dream, kidnaps young children to steal their dreams. One (Ron Perlman), a former whale hunter who is as strong as a horse, sets forth to search for Denree, his little brother who was kidnapped by Krank's men. Helped by young Miette (Judith Vittet), he soon arrives in La Cite des Enfants Perdus (The City of Lost Children).—Marie-Andree Poisson