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The Science of Sleep
Directed by: Michel Gondry
Starring: Gael Garcia Bernal
Genre:
Fantasy
Run Time: 105 min.
Release Date:
September 2006
On The Web:
Official
Site
Teaser:
Movie Trailer
Reviewed by
Byron Merritt |
If you thought director
Michel Gondry's ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND was dream-like,
you ain't seen nothing yet. THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP plunges headlong into
the line that separates dreams from reality and blurs it so perfectly as
to make the audience feel as if they've stepped into a piece of an
artist's REM sleep.
What the film does so well is create a moving canvas on the screen
(note: see this on the big screen) while at the same time challenging
the audience to follow the story of a struggling artist named Stephane
(Gael Garcia Bernal, THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES) as he moves into his
mother's home after the death of his father. Next door to their flat, he
finds a woman with a like-minded soul named — oddly enough — Stephanie
(Charlotte Gainsbourg, JANE EYRE). Initially Stephane is attracted to
Stephanie's friend but soon learns that Stephanie and he have artistic
aspirations that go beyond the norm.
But Stephane is not just artistically inclined while he's awake, but
while he sleeps, too. His dream world starts encroaching on the "real"
and vice-versa, making it seem as if he were having waking dreams.
Stephane has a news casting set (in his dreams) that acts as his
platform from which his ideas/dreams launch. He is the camera operator,
sound technician, and host for his dreams, having two pulled shades
against backdrop windows that represent his eyelids and a third, larger
window that acts as the gateway for his dreams.
As Stephanie becomes more and more a part of his life, she becomes more
and more intertwined in his dreams (both sleeping and waking). Their
strange relationship builds within Stephane's dream world only to be
fuddled up by the real one. But can a person's dreams turn their life
around? Can it become more lifelike than the waking world? Such are
questions left up to the audience's interpretation.
The living tapestry-style artwork of the dream world will be the biggest
pull for movie watchers. The colors, scene jumps, and nonsensical dreams
are pure eye-candy — one might wonder if being on hallucinogens could
make the film experience even more enjoyable. The other big plus is that
the movie actually engages the audience and challenges them to
understand what is happening rather than just dragging us through
another vapid and transparent Hollywood plot. And most viewers will feel
that if their eyes leave the screen they'll miss something vital or be
pulled out of this fantastically visual world and dumped back into their
own drab existence. Such is the magic of The Science of Sleep.
And it is magical. Childlike wonder and adult fantasy live comfortably
side by side in Gondry's latest cinematic offering and it is an
excellent, if unusual (and fresh), work of art.
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Image from The Science of
Sleep
DVD cost: $22.38
Purchase:
Barnes and Noble.com
Film Review Stew
Favorite?
Yes.
Stew Poo-Poo? No.
Newsworthy:
The song that Stephane
writes for Stephanie is sung to the tune of "After Hours" by The Velvet
Underground, which is also featured in the movie's trailer.
Movie Quote: "Hello.
Tonight we're going to show you how dreams are made."
Other Actors/Actresses
from The Science of Sleep
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