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"Give Gondry A
Hand. Go See This Film!" |
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Directed by Michel
Gondry - Written by
Michel Gondry
Starring Gael Garcia
Bernal, Charlotte
Gainsbourg, Miou-Miou,
Alain Chabat
Distributed by Warner
Independent - 2006 -
105mins - Rated R |
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Richard Propes'
Review
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A- |
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Close your eyes. Open your heart. |
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I've long held the
somewhat morbid, curious belief that there are those among us who
simply cannot be loved.
They may be lusted after. They may be cared for. They may be liked.
You may even believe with all your heart that you love them.
You do not.
Michel Gondry, most noted to American audiences for his widely praised
"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "Dave Chappelle's Block
Party," delves deeply within the wounded and fragmented psyche' that
seeks and believes in a love that doesn't truly exist in his latest
film and first full-length script, "The Science of Sleep."
"The Science of Sleep" is a visual masterpiece perfectly blending both
the mundane, disappointing realities and the fragile, emotionally
charged fantasies of young Stephane (Gael Garcia Bernal). We are
introduced to Stephane in his dreams, a place where he lives
frequently creating "Stephane TV," an imaginary world of hopes,
dreams, beliefs and life experiences. He relives traumas, processes
through challenging conversations and alters undesired endings in this
world that seems to magically appear during his every moment of sleep.
When Stephane moves back to Paris from Mexico under false pretenses
offered by his mother (Miou-Miou), his ability to balance his dream
world and his real life becomes more and more impaired. Stephane
believes his mother has arranged a job as an illustrator with a
calendar company, only to face the stark reality that his true job is
merely the menial task of "gluing pages" each and every day in a
basement.
After his first day on the job, he returns home only to be practically
run over by a piano, an accident that leads him to the discovery of
Zoe (Emma de Caunes) and the quieter, more reserved Stephanie
(Charlotte Gainsbourg).
The Gondry world is a world where love can be fate solely on the basis
of something as simple as Stephane/Stephanie, oh my it must be meant
to be. If you would take Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey's relationship in
"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and place it in kindergarten,
you would begin to grasp the whimsical, innocent and often delusional
ground upon which the ever so chaste, yet passionate relationship
between Stephane and Stephanie is going. Stephanie, too, is taken to
flights of artistic fancy, though she's infinitely more grounded than
Stephane and challenged to resist her painful awareness that this
man/child is not the one for her...yet, he might be the only one for
her.
"The Science of Sleep" is part fantasy, part hopeless love story, part
hopeful love story, part tortured soul journey and an even greater
part childlike dream. Gondry's script doesn't make sense, not even in
the Charlie Kaufman sense, and to attempt to draw a plot, a storyline
or a beginning and an end out of what is presented here is, quite
simply, futile.
Seldom have I witnessed a film so exhilarating yet uterly frustrating.
Even Gondry's ambiguous ending is one that perfectly blends the ideas
that dreams come true, but not always. It is, in fact, both a
surprisingly sweet, happy ending and yet a disturbing, hopeless one.
Bernal offers his second brilliant performance of 2006, following his
earlier turn in "The King." Both performances are worthy of
award-season recognition, though Bernal's likely hope rests with the
Independent Spirit Awards. Here, Bernal throws himself into the
character of Stephane with a zest, an innocence and a depth that feels
so natural it often appears like Bernal's performance is
stream-of-consciousness. Bernal again reminds us that he is one of the
bravest and boldest actors working today.
Likewise, as the object of Stephane's affection, Gainsbourg is a
remarkable blend of common sense, artistic whimsy and vulnerable young
woman. She knows the truth, it seems, of Stephane. Yet, she finds
herself repeatedly unable to escape her own flights of fancy long
enough to resist this unhealthy attraction. Gainsbourg's performance
is so natural, so low-key that it becomes remarkably easy to see why
Stephane believes she is unlike any woman he's ever met.
"The Science of Sleep" is destined to be an incredibly hard sell for
American audiences used to straightforward storylines, big budget
special effects and mindless forays into entertainment. Gondry's
production design often utilizes everyday materials to illustrate the
fantastic nature of Stephane's world. Quite often, Gondry utilizes
cellophane as rivers, cardboard boxes as walls and cars, small
household objects as a wide variety of tools, and even everyday trash
becomes priceless heirlooms in Gondry's world. Gondry so perfectly
blends the fantastic and the realistic that from scene to scene it
becomes difficult to discern between Stephane's dreams and his
reality, a possible reflection of the very challenges facing Stephane
and Stephanie.
Along with the performance of Miou-Miou as Stephane's mother, "The
Science of Sleep" features stellar supporting performances by
Stephane's co-workers, an odd assortment of individuals who are
largely overworked, bitter, underappreciated and awfully funny. Alain
Chabat stands out as Guy, while Aurelia Petit is delightful as
Martine, a sort of friskier and fiestier take on Emily Blunt's
character from "The Devil Wears Prada."
As visually compelling and emotionally intriguing as is "The Science
of Sleep," Gondry does, at times, lose control of the festivities.
This primarily occurs in his screenplay, which lacks the discipline
and focus of Kaufman's script for "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless
Mind." Yet, every time it seems that "The Science of Sleep" is going
to spiral out of control Gondry reins it back in largely on the back
of Bernal's and Gainsbourg's performances.
"The Science of Sleep" takes place largely in France, though Gondry
interweaves French, Spanish and English throughout the film. Bernal,
in only his second English language performance, again proves strong
in handling a wide diversity of roles in multiple languages. The film
features brief nudity, both male (Bernal) and female (Petit), however,
its "R" rating is ridiculously inappropriate.
I dare say that years from now "The Science of Sleep" will be seen as
a daring, bold and visionary film thanks to the unique writing and
direction of Michel Gondry. Featuring exceptional performances from
Gael Garcia Bernal and Charlotte Gainsbourg, "The Science of Sleep" is
a chaotic, disturbing, hopeful, hopeless, disorganized and visually
stunning film unlike any other you will see this year.
I've long believed that there are people in life who simply cannot be
loved.
Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm not.
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© Written by Richard Propes -
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