User reviews

One of the most important things to note about this is that it is not meant to be a mainstream piece. If you like Charlie Kaufman and/or Michel Gondry(as I do, I love the latter's approach and style, and it is immensely evident here; Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is one of my favorite films), this is for you. No, there is little real plot. This is delving into the mind of the lead, and in doing so, exploring emotions(including complex, ambivalent ones) and his relationship with a woman. Ah, not just any, she may be the one. Shifting back and forth between imagination and reality, this is often intentionally disorienting about which we're seeing at that specific time. There is marvelous ambiguity in this. The visuals are amazing, creative, and always perfectly conveying the mood that they are supposed to. Excellent stop-motion animation. The actors(who all deliver impeccable performances) actually got to see what their realistically written(not all likable) and nicely fleshed out characters were meant to be seeing, so they could react to it, not merely "pretend it's there". This is in English with a bit of French and occasionally Spanish, and both are subtitled. The editing is spot-on. There is a little sexuality, infrequent strong language and brief male nudity in this. I recommend this to anyone who believes that this medium can be an artform. 8/10

Director Michel Gondry continues his exploration of the world of dreams, this time without the master writing of Charlie Kaufman who authored the script of 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'. Taking upon himself the writing of the story and setting it in an every day Parisian setting Gondry succeeds quite well to continue on the same line of dreams taking over the real world. Here he brings to screen a very direct and simple love story between two young people living half in reality, half in the world of dreams of the principal character. Stephane (Gael García Bernal) is a Mexican young fellow visiting his mother and trying to accommodate with a boring job. He is less living in the real world and more in a world of fantasy where he is trying to find place for his neighbor Stephanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg) he falls for.

The very simple and direct story has an overall air of freshness, resulting from acting, but especially from the very warm and almost childish approach to the world of dreams put together by Gondry. His surrealistic space has nothing threatening, no shades or sharp lines as in Dali or De Chirico's paintings no hidden threats as in Hitchcock or social pressure as in Bunuel's movies. It is rather the world of childish cartoons, a low-tech and benevolent space of a prolonged childhood. If we are to trace the roots I would rather go back to the innocence of the characters in Boris Vian's 'L'Ecume des Jours.

I do not know if Gondry will continue his exploration of the world of dreams in future films, but with the two movies in this thematic space he already left a print of his own in a different type of cinema I would call cinema of dreams. From several points of view, because of the sincerity and freshness of the narration I liked more 'La Science des Reves' than the stars-stricken 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'.

This movie had a lot going for it. The art direction was incredibly fun and creative, and overall the movie looked great and had a very unique vision. It was cute and quirky and definitely made me laugh out loud at times while at other times it made me feel awkward and tense in the best possible way.

The dream sequences were fun and blended with reality in a very seamless and engaging way (though on a personal level I prefer the way dreams were portrayed in Waking Life). And while on the surface the love story was thoughtful and true (and I could even relate to it in some ways), the problem for me was that I just couldn't sympathize with Bernal's character, Stéphane. I couldn't really see where Gainsbourg's character, Stéphanie, was coming from either. While their interaction was at times endearing, I just didn't feel like I had to root for them. Still though, there was enough charm in this movie that that fact didn't ruin the movie for me.

THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP (Michael Gondry - France/Italy 2006).

There's something magical about this wonderfully sweet romantic fantasy by Michael Gondry. A love story, emotionally rich with dazzling dream-like visuals, done the old-fashioned way with simple stop-motion animation techniques. We see Stéphane flying above his cardboard imagination of Paris and later, we see him sitting in the bathtub full of silver cellophane. It's Gondry's first film as writer-director after a two-feature partnership with Philip Kaufman. Not surprisingly, it feels a bit Kaufmanesque, as Gondry's previous "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", but now dreams have replaced memory.

Stéphane can hardly make the distinction between his own dreamworld and the outside reality and doesn't know a whole lot about love. For no apparent reason he lies to Stéphanie that he lives next door to her, which results in some comic situations. He also wants to be an inventor and so he gives her his 3-D glasses, 'but the world is already in 3-D', she replies. He is a man-child, unable to adjust himself to the everyday realities of the outside world.

Ultimately the relationship between Stéphane and Stéphanie ends in a kind of stalemate, and so does the film itself. How do you end a film? With most films I can't wait till it's over, but here it seemed like the last twenty minutes got lost in the editing room. A very abrupt ending. The film might have a bit of an unsatisfying resolution, but Gondry creates magic here. It's the dreamworld that makes this rise above the level of just another romantic comedy, and it's funny, very funny. The breathtaking stop-motion animation is a feast for the eye and the sets and creations are wonderful to look at. The film had me in a permanent smile.

Camera Obscura --- 8/10

Michel Gondry, the visually creative giant behind some of MTV's most stylistically innovative music videos, and more recently the driving force behind his and script writer extraordinare Charlie Kaufman's brilliant Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, finally makes his solitary debut, choosing to write and direct this surrealist tale of dreams, reality, and the lines some people walk between them. Fans of the visual virtuoso must have been anticipating Gondry's official declaration as auteur for some time, having salivated for a decade now as this French director continually pushed the envelope for lucky musicians.

I'm sure many saw The Science of Sleep as a proving ground that would help fans see if the eccentric director would be able to parlay all of these visually creative aspects into a more cohesive, cinematic experience. By and large, the dangerously imaginative movie succeeds on it's own, though there are a few discrepancies to note. First, it does feel that much of the way the movie is shot, in particular the scenes which stay most grounded in reality, do mimic a lot of the production values that gave Eternal Sunshine such a realistically detached value to it. Ditto with much of the stream-of-consciousness script, at times heavily emulating the flow Gondry and Kaufman helped pioneer the first time around. The actual plot is decidedly low-key, and for good reason, though at times Gondry does struggle to fill all of his microcosms with relevance. To say these values remain derivative and do not completely complement the whimsically dark storytelling taking place here though, would be to forsake the fantastic and singular joy that the Science of Sleep is.

Regardless of it's constant French avant-garde noodling, and despite the obvious parallels to Gondry's previous film, Science remains a near-masterwork, punctuated by the intoxicating rhythm of it's perceptive dream sequences, often edited with the most keen of intentions. Whether viewers will stay immersed throughout the fantasy bleed-in will be up to ones subjective threshold, and ones ability to thrive off of the magically deranged pacing that hints at underlying psychological relevance. Gondry's masterful pacing does not disappoint, culminating with the brilliant evolution of the script's supremely playful tone into something much more serious.

Of course, the sincere material would only be at home when recited by actors of a pure heart, and in this Gondry also excels by casting two leads who do everything they can to involve us in the realist fantasy. Gael García Bernal, always doing well to pick good material, finally slips into an English language role with the ease I would expect, and the luminous yet subdued Charlotte Gainsbourg radiates the earthly kind of magic that this film is all about. People with strict objective agendas stay clear, anyone else who still uses an inkling of their imagination, please dive in. It may not be perfect, but Science is surely one of the most unique and perceptive fantasies to merge with the mass consciousness in years.

There is no surprise in Hollywood's ignoring this film for awards and honors. None at all. This film does not speak Hollywood's language, because it speaks the language of art, not the language of money. It is brilliant. It is entertaining. It is visually hypnotic. It is insightful. These qualities cannot be found in today's blockbusters. Bernal is endearing and funny. Gainsbourg is beautiful in an intensely real light. The pace of the film is exquisite. I also had the pleasure of watching the 'Making of...' documentary on the DVD. Michel Gondry's subtle genius shines brilliantly in the interviews. The techniques employed to achieve the effects in the film are amazingly un-Hollywood. I have a new respect for French film-making. Added to the wonders of Jeunet are the wonders of Gondry. I cannot recommend this film strongly enough to anyone with a sense of humor and imagination.

I was so excited to see it. I loved Eternal Sunshine so much, and had high hopes for this movie. Yes, the special effects were beautiful, the acting good, but the lack of plot made for a very boring experience. It's as if someone came up with some very cool animation, and then decided to make a movie based around it. No one in the group I went with liked it. It was like a really long Bjork video without the music.

Sorry to all the people who think this movie is so great. Maybe you are more enlightened than I, but to me, this movie was one giant snoozefest. I kept checking my watch, waiting for it to be over. I would have walked out, but I was afraid it might get really good any minute.

It didn't.

This is a perfect example of a love-it-or-hate-it movie simply because its very nature means it's somewhat plot less -- we're constantly unsure if what we're seeing on the screen is really real or just in Gael Garcia Bernal's dreams, and some moviegoers abhor uncertainty, hence I think the large number of "1" votes for this flick. (Also, the film is ostensibly foreign, but moves from French to English with equal measure, with a little bit of Spanish tossed in, too. So maybe the shifts in language also irked some people, but I found it enchanting.) So don't let those low votes fool you; this is a beautiful, sublime film, and if you let yourself go onto its wavelength, you'll most likely find yourself *enjoying* the (perhaps unsolvable) visual puzzle Michel Gondry has created here. It is the quintessence of magical realism, and yet everything comes across as absolutely effortless, unlike the forced whimsy of, say, last year's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or the too-clever-by-half Adaptation. I dare say it's probably one of the best films of the year.

When we dream, our minds descend into a world that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Though this world is comprised of people and objects that are obviously familiar to us – borrowed from love, friendships, relationships, memories, reminisces and the events of our day – they are employed in a means that is bizarre and otherworldly. However, our brain switches off the part of itself that deals with logic, and so we blindly accept what we are experiencing; are far as we are concerned, it is real, and it is happening to us at this very moment. But what happens if you find yourself dreaming at any hour of the day, whether you're asleep or not? How can you possibly separate what is real from what is imagined? 'La Science des rêves / The Science of Sleep (2006)' is Michel Gondry's follow-up to 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004),' which was undoubtedly one of the most original and inventive films of the twenty-first century.

Stéphane Miroux (Gael García Bernal) is a creative artist whose talent simply goes to waste in the real world. Though he has some clever ideas for a new calender {a slightly politically-incorrect concept called Disasterology}, he is instead left with the mundane, uninspired duty of gluing squares of paper. It is only when he descends into the world of his dreams that Stéphane truly exercises his abilities, hosting his own talk show in a set constructed of cardboard, in which he discusses his life, his friends and his romances. From a very young age, Stéphane has found it difficult to distinguish his dreams from his realities, and, indeed, such is the banality of his existence that the former threatens to take over completely. Living in the apartment next door is Stéphanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg), complementary to Stéphane in so many ways {the similar names are, of course, no coincidence} that, in an ideal world, they would be a couple. Unfortunately, it seems that true life will never be as perfect as our dreams.

Gondry, who began his career producing among the wackiest music videos you'll ever see, has an incredible visual style that is imaginative, innovative and endearing. The special effects were obviously achieved on the cheap – created using everyday household objects and stop-motion – and yet they blend flawlessly into the subconscious meanders of the main character's dreaming mind. The prominent use of hand-held camera-work, though usually used in cinema to simulate realism, achieves the exact opposite in this film, taking us inside Stéphane's confused and distorted perception of the world about him, where imagination and real-life converge into a single, fantastic environment. Though, through my limited experience, most works of surrealism tend to have a cold detachment about them, 'The Science of Sleep' is a warm and involving tale of love, life and friendship, the frequent and peculiar lapses into fantasy demonstrating the significant role that dreams play in recognising and contemplating the major issues inherent in our daily lifestyles.

Though 'The Science of Sleep' lacks the strong leading performers of 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,' and also perhaps the solid narrative of Charlie Kaufman's script {Michel Gondry penned this one himself}, the film is an excellent self-indulgent exploration of the mind's inner workings {and I use the term "self-indulgent" in its most positive form}. Gael García Bernal is quite good in a complex role, and, though his character is a bit pathetic in the way he interacts with the world, he makes for a very funny and likable protagonist. With all its bizarre occurrences, what makes 'The Science of Sleep' such a warm, personal and inviting experience? Maybe it's because the peculiar world that Stéphane creates for himself isn't as unfamiliar as we had initially expected. Afterall, we visit a similar place every night of our lives.

The Science of Sleep is most likely the best and most visionary film playing at Sundance this year (I say most likely because I've only seen two, but I doubt that anything can top it). Furthermore, I believe that The Science of Sleep is one of the best and most visionary films I've ever seen.

The Science of Sleep is about Stephane (Gael Garcia Bernal), a creative and naïve dreamer who moves from Mexico to his childhood home in Paris after his father's death. He takes a job at a calendar company, assuming that it will allow him to express himself creatively. Living across from Stephane is Stephanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg), an equally creative woman. They form a relationship and as it grows, it becomes threatened by Stephane's overactive dream world, which begins creeping into his waking life.

The Science of Sleep marks the screen writing debut of director Michel Gondry. This is Gondry's third theatrical feature film, after Human Nature and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Much like last year's Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, where it was unfiltered Shane Black on the screen; The Science of Sleep is pure Gondry from start to finish. This is Gondry's immense visual world unrestrained by a script by Charlie Kaufman, and this world of fancy and imagination is where the film flourishes.

The title sequence is set to the image of spin art (think back to the days of your school carnival) as we enter Stephane's active dream world. The paint layers upon itself as the colors stretch further and further outward, while we hear Stephane dreaming. This perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the film as we see bright and vibrant imagery and characters layered upon each other and pulled outward into their worlds. The magic of the sequence is broken, though, when we are immediately brought into the real world.

Stephane's real life is as banal and mundane as anyone could imagine. As an artist, he feels suffocated in a job where he "glues in a basement all day." In his own time, he creates inventions such as 3D glasses for real life ("Isn't real life already in 3D?" asks Stephanie) or one second time machines. His indomitable creative spirit is what he finds mirrored in the equally creative, yet more realistically centered Stephanie.

In direct contrast is Stephane's dream world. It is outlandish, beautiful, and unrestrained. It is in these sequences when Gondry takes flight. The sequences are filled with so much eye candy it is difficult to take in. They range from the absurd (a spider typewriter), to the grand (an entire cardboard city), or to the beautiful (a cloth horseback ride to a boat on a sea of cellophane). What makes the sequences all the more incredible is that, for the most part, he relies only on practical effects. Also remarkable is the way that the dream world represents the film's reality. The film is so very aware of itself and its intentions and the dream sequences utilize that knowledge to the full extent. As the dreams begin to invade the real world, this knowledge becomes even more vital. Gondry's meticulous attention to detail is a benefit, seeing as he does not confound himself, and therefore does not confound the audience (for the most part).

It is also filled with wonderful dialogue, and it finds transcendent humor through the characters. By using truth instead of punch lines to provide the humor, Gondry adds another layer to his already versatile film. The dialogue is in French, English, and Spanish, each seamlessly interweaving with each other, much like the realities of the film interweave. There comes a point in the film where you stop realizing the language of the film is constantly changing. It comes as the three worlds represented by the language (the Spanish is who Stephane was; the English, he who is now; and the French is his dream of the future) begin to merge into Stephane's one reality.

The film truly ascends to its full potential when it arrives at such an incredibly heightened state where we have little idea if we are in reality or in a dream. It is a language of its own, and in and of itself, it is seamless.

The Science of Sleep is not simply a visual wonder of a film, either. The performances are touching and heartfelt. Gael Garcia Bernal continues to be one of the most talented actors working. His performance is filled with so much raw emotion, giving a strong emotional core to the film. I believe that without his powerful and nuanced performance, the spectacle of the film would have been too much; however, Bernal keeps it grounded in reality with a performance so truthful that the insanity happening around him seems completely believable. The same can be said of Charlotte Gainsbourg as Stephanie, as well as the myriad of supporting actors, each playing fully developed characters.

Few films ever achieve their full potential, this exceeds it. The Science of Sleep is a film that will excite you with its visual fancy, and touch you with its powerful emotion. Michel Gondry has created a film that even through the unbelievable proceedings, has so many deftly-crafted human moments. Deep down, this film is a love story. Going back to the title sequence's spin art, below all of layers being spun and pushed around run currents of human emotion which Gondry smartly anchors the film with; therefore, allowing it to soar.

A Michel Gondry film works best when in reference to the man.

After meeting with him his work makes infinitely more sense. Talking to Gondry is like listening to a small child telling an extremely dirty joke. He will say some very blue stuff, like repeatedly referencing the fact that he has an abnormally large male organ, but he says it in such a way that it seems like he has only just overheard the 'real' adults talking about it and is emulating them.

His films are incredibly personal. Stephane, the protagonist, (I would hesitate to call him a hero) of his newest piece, "The Science of Sleep" is more or less Gondry gone awry. He is a man-child so wrapped up in his own head that he cannot understand—much less interact with—the world around him. He also just might be a genius and a visual poet if he ever found the right outlet.

"The Science of Sleep" is a terribly romantic film about incredibly flawed people. And there is more than a little bit of Kundera's "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" with a dada twist to be found. There are lots of heady ideas about consciousness sanity or the lack thereof, but at its' core the film is about art and the creative process.

Many people, myself included, found this film derivate of "Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind" when it was first released in theaters. But after sitting on it a few months and seeing it again, the delineation point between Kaufman and Gondry becomes clear. Certainly this is a companion piece to 'Eternal Sunshine' but it has its' own charms and quirks. Gondry had the initial idea for 'Eternal Sunshine' and this is probably exactly the film he would have made without Kaufman's interference.

Kaufman is the opposite of Gondry in many ways. The former is a world weary traveler alienated because of his art and seemingly obsessed with psychoanalytical theory. The latter is utterly childlike and more interested in dreams themselves than the reasons behind them. Because of this, Kaufman's films pack a huge emotional wallop while Gondry's are closer to an ornate and mechanized plaything. When the two work together, it is mind blowing. But taken separately, their interpretations of similar constructs are equally compelling. Someday, 'Eternal Sunshine' and "The Science of Sleep" will make a wonderful double feature at a revival house.

Unfortunately, though he has a breathtaking talent for the visual, Gondry is a much less disciplined writer than Kaufman. He chooses to go for the weird and wonderful, "the beautiful and the sublime" in place of grounding the characters in the emotional reality that is essential to any film than wants to be so willfully surreal. The characters and the world can be insane, but there must be a core of catharsis for the unreality in which they live. But in spite of stand out work from a cast headed by Gael Garcia Bernal and Charlotte Gainsbourg, the universe never feels tangible.

Bernal comes off as creepy. Not the fractured genius creepy that his 'Disaster calendar' tries to imply, but rather a sort of rapist creepy. There is a scene in which he sneaks into Gainsbourg's apartment and then sits in the dark waiting for her. Moments like this make Bernal an untrustworthy, and thus, unlikable lead.

But there are certain scenes when everything coalesces into an emotionally satisfying whole. When Bernal and Gainsbourg start to create their own fantasy world, the joy and suspension of the laws of reality is earned and heart warming. Bernal's dreams are mostly charming and his waking interactions with his co-workers are delightfully weird. There is much to appreciate in this film, and it definitely improves upon multiple viewings, but like last years "A Scanner Darkly" it never really seems to get where it is trying to go.

All the same, it is a beautiful, if only marginally successful, work of art.

it's funny to read how many people seem to be upset after having seen the film, because he was so boring for them, nearly without sense or any real plot. But what do you want of a film called "The science of dreams" (in original)? Have you ever had a dream, which really had a defined structure or felt like being the normal story of a normal day? After my opinion the film was great, simply copying the "structure" of a fantastic dream. Of course, after some minutes you won't find your way out of this chaos anymore. But that's the way it should be. Simply sitting in the cinema and no longer being able to realize, if you are still watching the film or if you have lost yourself in your own dreams. So to say, only a film for people living in two worlds, the real one and the magical one of dreaming.

Despite the Kaufman-free involvement, Gondry's follow-up to 'Eternal Sunshine' is as much a bizarre a specimen as it's predecessor, however just not as complex.

The plot itself is nothing too special (young man moves back home to be with his newly widowed mother and falls in love with his neighbour), however it's the complex nature of Stéphane's personality and his inability to often distinguish real life from his dreams that make this film a must to watch.

García Bernal is perfectly cast as Stéphane and and is able to keep us rooting for him, even when the character becomes selfish and even slightly unpleasant. Gainsbourg also holds extremely well as the love interest and it does raise the question as to why we don't see her in many other mainstream films (although to call the film mainstream may be slightly pushing it). The supporting cast also do a great job at helping us immerse into Stéphane's world, particularly Chabat's Guy, who's sex-obsessed eccentric almost steals the film at times.

But the real strength of the film comes from Gondry himself who's creativity has reached a new high. Stéphane's dream sequences stand out beautifully well through their use of stop-motion animation and cheap sets made from random objects, while his normal life is still full of wonderfully bizarre contraptions that seamlessly merge with his imagination. Even the little things stand out.

Despite being marketed as a comedy, I did find myself questioning this throughout the movie, particularly towards the end. While there is plenty of humour throughout, the film ultimately feels tragic because Stéphane is having this trouble in distinguishing what is real and what is his dream and a result he is unable to take life seriously enough. But again, this just shows how good a movie this was.

Overall this is a unique treat of a movie that will surprise many people with it's inventiveness and heart.

Stephane comes to Paris to take on a job at a calendar-production company arranged by his mother, which unfortunately turns out to be somewhat more dull than expected. His fantasy life goes haywire in his dreams, he falls in love with the charming Stephanie of across the hall and the two put together make for an awkward, creative and funny Calvin and Hobbes seduction.

The strength of the film lies in the elaborate creativity displayed in the dream-life of Stephane, which is a real pleasure to watch, even if put together amateuristically. The unfortunate side lies in the final scenes where the weaknesses of Stephane get the upper hand rather than his creativity. As a viewer, you would have granted him a little more success than the unconvincing absurd professional breakthrough he got. None the less, the movie is well worth watching, including some very funny side characters, with, notably, an over-the-top Chabat as his sex- obsessed, down-to-earth extroverted colleague. Very original.

I just saw this at the Sundance Film Festival and feel compelled to saw a few things about the flick. This movie is so insanely good and just plain insane at the same time. The movie follows Gael Garcia's character as he moves back to his mothers home in Paris and finds himself falling for the girl across the hall. Gael's character experiences reality through dreams and the present, creating all sorts of confusion. The movie has some of the most unique props and eccentric animation pieces I have ever seen, but would you expect anything less from Gondry (Eternal Sunshine..). This movie really can't be described in truth but holds so much potential for multiple viewings as its so full of life and visual wonders for the eyes. Gael Garcia is just perfect in this role and is fascinating in gesture and laugh out loud funny when the script allows. I think you should definitely look forward to seeing this movie when it gets a wide release, its funny, its art, its pleasure for the eyes and a puzzle for the mind.

I though the film was interesting. I wanted to like it more. Some real interesting ideas with the stop motion animation techniques and dream sequences but the story seemed too disjointed.

There were some great comic moments in the film and many of them were the relationship between Stephane and his co-workers. These could have been explored more.

I know the idea about separating reality and dreams is prevalent in the film and was probably the intention but I think the inconsistency of Stephane's character and the way the film ended left me disappointed.

To tell the truth I have had better dreams.

Or, The Science of Sleep. A film that rates -very- high on the weirdness scale as it tells the story of a man that has trouble keeping reality and dreamworld apart. It starts when he moves back to France to live with his mother after his father passes away. The rest of his story is a fairly normal one, just the way it is played out is rather odd.

This film had me watching it open mouthed for most of the time. From the very start of it to the very end. In fact, I might have had my mouth open from the moment it started - I didn't realize it until about halfway through. The astonishment and pleasure on my end started with the very first shots - the way things got depicted and worked out. A film that is as much a film as a true piece of art.

I can do nothing other than rating this one very highly. It is like a dream but also like reality and it explains its title and theme very clearly. Acting is good enough and the music choice is very fitting. All in all, very worthwhile material.

9 out of 10 fuzzy dreams

Something's missing (maybe consistency) from this movie, but it's still enjoyable. The actors are doing a great job, especially Gael García Bernal. I like his dead-pan humor and I think he's one of the most promising actor of his generation. Charlotte Gainsbourg is also good. I find her lovable with her shyness that's not really one. More character development would have been nice though.

The movie is about Stéphane's hallucinations. This guy lives in a funny world where a whole new sphere of possibilities opens up. But when the new neighbor settles in, he has to face reality or bring her into his fantasy world. The film is also about relationships: how they come together and how fast they can dissolve or take a new shape. Being a low-budget film, the special effects are very basic (some would say non-existent) but that's actually a good thing. I liked Stéphane's idea for a calendar about 12 great tragedies!

Seen in Barcelona, at the Verdi, on March 17th, 2007.

73/100 (**½)

In its own seemingly surreal and fully tongue-in-cheek way, The Science of Sleep relates very much to the creative libido in many of us in an eager young dreamer who has yet to mature. Gael Garcia Bernal, who has played roles with the directly opposite effect as this one, is very moving as the often aggravating, childish, yet totally innocent and beautiful hero of the story, which I assume is his story, but I do not assume that he knows it's his story, which leaves me with a very intricate impression of the movie. What I got out it was a satisfying portrait of a person so consumed with their dreams that he has phased out all logic and pragmatism in his life. We never understand fully what is really happening and what isn't.

Something I greatly admire about Michel Gondry's work, given a lot of spotlight in this film and played a fascinating role in his preceding milestone Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, is his use of miniature models, stop-motion animation, and experimentation with dimensions and sizes. It is very refreshing in an age that's becoming less creatively impressive as its computer technology progresses. It's an effect that is not only entertaining but especially relieving in this time period. Gondry's movies don't acknowledge the concept of time, often shocking us with its stylistic mannerisms and depictions of wardrobe and lifestyle. It's one of the beauitful things happening in current cinema.

This film is beautiful, intricate, fun - all at the same time. It hits the mind and pulls the heart strings on so many levels - while still managing to make a whole cinema audience laugh loudly, frequently and unreservedly. Michel Gondry has created something really wonderful here, the kind of film worth seeing again and again.

The Science of Sleep is trying to do something quite different to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but there's definitely something of the same feel. Certainly the level of exquisite artistry is comparable, but maybe it's also the amount of care and sincerity that has been invested in the inner lives of the film's characters.

This director/writer never sells anyone short, say, by using a character or situation just as a plot or artistic device. Instead the characters' growth and flow of ideas are what build the story, always treated with a touch that is loyal and genuine. You begin to feel loyal to them yourself, to have a sense of them as very real people in whose ultimate well-being you have a very involving stake.

That's all I really need say about the film, though I'd point out that the few negative comments I've seen below really weren't worth reading. Reservations I can understand (as everyone's different, right?) but these naysayers are clearly emotionally, intellectually and artistically stunted. Most likely they can't comprehend a work that doesn't fit their prescribed and limited framework for film appreciation - the sort which demands that progression be made through exactly the crude plot and character devisings which this film avoids. In fact, I don't think the Science of Sleep even studiously avoids them - it is simply a mile above such considerations. The film works on every level - and if you're even halfway to normal with your own emotional development you'll get what's good about this.

Michel Gondry wrote and directed this melancholy little film about a young man, Stephane, who, unwilling to cope with the realities of grief and loneliness, would rather escape into a vivid dream world over which he maintains much more control than he does in real life. He has never completely dealt with the death of his father, to whom he was very close, and is on friendly if awkward terms with his mother, who he comes to live with in Paris. He falls for his next door neighbor, Stephanie (played by Charlotte Gainsbourg), but has trouble communicating his feelings to her. He likes her because, as he tells her at one point, she's the only person he knows who is "different," but he approaches personal relationships like a child, throwing tantrums and lashing out in cruelty when he becomes frustrated by his inability to communicate what he feels. Gondry fills his movie with dream images and sequences, keeping us slightly off balance so that we feel somewhat like Stephane himself, never sure whether a conversation or episode is the product of a real-life encounter or of Stephane's vivid but troubled mind.

I like Gael Garcia Bernal very much as an actor. He has the charm and looks to fall back on easy heartthrob roles, but he instead has chosen challenging, and many times unglamorous, parts for himself. There's much to like about Stephane, but there's also much about him that is unpleasant. Charlotte Gainsbourg gives a lovely performance as Stephanie, especially in the film's final moments, when Stephane says some hurtful things to her before crumbling into her embrace like a baby. There's a great deal of whimsical humour sprinkled throughout the film, provided mostly by Stephane's co-workers at a graphic design office, but the overall tone of the film is quite sad and poignant, and the open-ended conclusion leaves us wondering just how o.k. Stephane is going to be. We admire his imagination, but understand how inadequate his dreams and fantasies have been in preparing him for the harsh realities of life.

In English, French and Spanish.

Grade: A-

Sympathetic apologies Michel; this one did not appeal. Three of us attended on the basis of a 7.6 IMDb rating, the highest in our local cinemas this week. Also of course out of respect for Gondry's previous achievements, particularly his collaboration with Kaufman.

We are all familiar with the surrealist and fantasy tradition, as well as strong fans of French film. While it was quite interesting at first we thought the production went nowhere, was boring and repetitive, and was little more than a cyclical portrayal of standard teenage frustration fantasies.

The humour was limited, the pace slow and the artwork patchy.

The heavy accents and broken English did not work well for us and required subtitles more than the French. We don't mind seeing a French/Spanish language film with subtitles.

The only charitable explanation is that we are not taking the right stimulants. Sorry!