Microcosmos

"15 years of research. 2 years of equipment design. 3 years of shooting. One great movie to restore your sense of wonder."

1996 1h 20m FR

🙌

7.6

BANGER

★7.6TMDB · 269

Documentary

Synopsis

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A documentary of insect life in meadows and ponds, using incredible close-ups, slow motion, and time-lapse photography. It includes bees collecting nectar, ladybugs eating mites, snails mating, spiders wrapping their catch, a scarab beetle relentlessly pushing its ball of dung uphill, endless lines of caterpillars, an underwater spider creating an air bubble to live in, and a mosquito hatching.

“15 years of research. 2 years of equipment design. 3 years of shooting. One great movie to restore your sense of wonder.”

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Where to watch · US

Criterion ChannelSubscription

Cast

Jacques Perrin
Récitant / Narrator (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Marie Pérennou
Writers: Claude Nuridsany, Marie Pérennou
Languages: French, English
Countries: France, Switzerland, Italy

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

80 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 25% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

30 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: France, Switzerland, Italy.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Marie Pérennou, shot by Thierry Machado. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Bruno Coulais. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Marie-Josèphe Yoyotte shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Marie Pérennou directs. Thierry Machado behind the camera. Bruno Coulais scores. Marie-Josèphe Yoyotte cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in France, Switzerland, Italy. Dialogue in French, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

180 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Earned back only 25% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
330 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.
5International production across 3 countries: France, Switzerland, Italy.
6Directed by Marie Pérennou, shot by Thierry Machado. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Bruno Coulais. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Marie-Josèphe Yoyotte shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Marketing tagline: "15 years of research. 2 years of equipment design. 3 years of shooting. One great movie to restore your sense of wonder.".
10IMDB entry: tt0117040 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 14 themes, including "insect", "biology", "narration", "ant".
12Released under 26 different titles around the world.