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Plot:
Life seems to be looking up for shy and withdrawn Stephane when he is coaxed to return to his childhood home with the promise of a job in the mundane world of copy setting. Wildly creative, his fancif...( read more 
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La Science des Rêves (The Science of Sleep) Recent Reviews
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Recent Reviews
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MCT:July 4, 2008Not Interested
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MCT:June 18, 2008
Stephane: "¡Un, dos, tres, cuatro!
[Stéphane plays the drums, then the piano, then moves the cameras. "Stéphane TV"]
Hi, and welcome back to another episode of "Télévision Educative". Tonight, I'll show you how dreams are prepared. People think it's a very simple and easy process but it's a bit more complicated than that. As you can see, a very delicate combination of complex ingredients is the key. First, we put in some random thoughts. And then, we add a little bit of reminiscences of the day... mixed with some memories from the past.
[adds two bunchs of pasta]
That's for two people. Love, friendships, relationships... and all those "ships", together with songs you heard during the day, things you saw, and also, uh... personal... Okay, I think it's one.
[Red smoke comes out of the pot]
There it goes. Yes! Yes.
[coughs]
Okay, we have to run."
Shy and introverted by day, Stéphane (Gael García Bernal) uses his dreams and imagination as his chief form of expression. The dreams - elaborate fantasies that exist in a world dominated by arts and crafts - allow him to escape reality in favour of a world where he hosts a nightly TV show, is seduced by co-workers, writes an acclaimed book, becomes something akin to Antoine Doinel, and is generally beloved. Only, Stéphane often confuses his dreams with reality, so when he woos Stéphanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg), a similar soul who lives next door, he has trouble reconciling the girl in his dreams who loves him and the actual girl who might, if given the chance.
This is not a healthy habit for Stéphane to indulge, but in Michel Gondry's The Science of Sleep it is neither a shortcoming nor a virtue, but rather a fundamental part of who he is, a necessary by-product of a misunderstood creative genius. Or perhaps he is a genius who has not yet begun to reach his potential. I'm not sure which. Not that it really matters. We just know Stéphane is far from normal, and that's enough. He fashions himself an artist, but he finds his disaster calendar series to be a difficult sell after his mother gets him a job cutting and pasting letterheads. Without creative stimulation, his mind wanders and his work becomes secondary to his imagination, just as life is often secondary to his dreams. When that happens, Stéphane is effectively paralyzed.
You don't have to look far to see the connections between the character of Stéphane and Gondry himself. Stéphane's tousled hair and sweater-centric outfits emulate Gondry's physical appearance, and his endless tinkering on charmingly infantile inventions recalls Gondry's technical wizardry with the camera. Gondry has clearly spent a lot of time analyzing and recounting his own dreams because the dream sequences in this film feel as authentic as one can imagine; as Stéphanie points out, "Randomness is very hard to achieve." In particular, an extended dream sequence late in the film veers so radically between vignettes that it feels marvelously uncanny; you forget they are supposed to be dreams, while simultaneously recognizing how much the structure reflects your own dreams.
The set design is meticulous, with each successive scene interweaving minor details from the previous. Due to the uncertainty of dream and reality, you could watch the film multiple times without being able to tell when Stéphane is experiencing something for the first time or when he is being influenced by a nagging memory.
As the film progresses, Stéphane becomes an increasingly sad character, which is augmented by the film's autobiographical quality. Early on, Stéphane and Stéphanie share a heartbreakingly sweet scene in which they engage in the joy of creativity and their childish cheerfulness is infectious. But the more we get to know him, the more that Stéphane's disillusionment becomes extremely detrimental. Ultimately, we have a strongly emotional film in which we're not sure what emotion exactly to feel - leaving a slightly foul taste in the mouth, all the more unpleasant after the initial sweetness of whimsy.
Reason is a low priority here, but, even with that in mind, there are times where The Science of Sleep feels like a series of filmed ideas, half-realized dream sequences that do little to advance either the plot or the characters. One wonders if Gondry occasionally falls in love with images at the expense of the film's greater whole. It's in these moments where his direction, which in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was so deft, wanders, stumbling around for a bit while he searches for a narrative thread. This is due, in part, to the nature of the story Gondry chooses to tell.
Managing the chaos The Science of Sleep embraces is a Herculean task, to be sure, and Gondry succeeds for the most part. It would hardly warrant discussion if he hadn't done it before, but he has, and comparisons to Eternal Sunshine are inevitable. Done correctly, they are also helpful. The only aspect in which The Science of Sleep struggles comparably to its predecessor, is on the page. The only thing that's missing is the unique genius of Charlie Kaufman, the ability to be at once quirky and melancholy. Gondry is by no means a bad writer - in fact just the opposite, this was after all his first actual sole script so imagine what will he do in years to come - but he's no Charlie Kaufman, and it may just be that he's a better visual artist than he is a storyteller. Narratively speaking, the film doesn't match the level of brilliance it's literally made of, aesthetically.
Obvious comparison apart and baring in mind its flaws, The Science of Sleep still reiterates what a visionary Gondry is. Every frame is brimming with creativity and his craftsmanship is unchallenged. Gondry's effort here is much more reminiscent of his earlier music video work. It shows viewers a childlike world full of inanimate objects that come to life and defy basic physical principles. Sets are made from corrugated cardboard, and large portions of the film appear to be re-dubbed for no other reason than to look cheesy. This film was never exactly destined for mainstream success, but those experienced with Gondry's pre-Hollywood work will recognize it as something that might even be a more pure look into the filmmaker's mind. And what a fascinating mind it is. -
MCT:May 20, 2008Wow. I really enjoyed this. This film has everything, it's magical, fun, inventive and wonderful. The Science of Sleep was written and directed by the same man who brought us Eternal Sunshine.. Just from hearing that my expectations were high and ultimately exceeded.
Gael García Bernal gives an engaging and energetic portrayal of a confused man lost between the dream world and reality. His presence is very charming and he also makes you laugh out loud at some of his characters wild antics.
I can understand why a lot of people didn't like it, yes it wasn't flawless and the plot seemed confusing.
But anyway this film is greatly directed, written, has wonderful visuals and incredible performances. Watch this if you have imagination, otherwise I wouldn't recommend. -
MCT:April 19, 2008
Really nice movie, kinda jitters, you might have to see it a couple of times to get it
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MCT:March 29, 2008Garcia Bernal takes on a trilingual role as a daydreaming artist that contrivedly experiences the "empirical" gastronomy of a dream. Incoherency rather than quirkiness runs amok, and the anatomy of a dream is analyzed as simplistic as the romance between the immature neighbors. Furthermore, the editing is really crappy: you could see the transitions from cameras about two or so seconds off (Absurdly reminding me of the time-traveling machine).
Garcia Bernal isn't given much acting capacity, the plot becomes boring after the first forty minutes, and the only redeeming quality is Miroux's flatulent, sex-obsessed co-worker, who was unusually hilarious. Yet, you could tell that this really pisses people off - no wonder it was on sell. -
MCT:December 3, 2008
Possibly the weirdest movies that I have ever seen, after I finished watching it, I pinched myself to see if I was dreaming because I was so confused. It is shot in a really cool method and the characters are relatable as well
Comments
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kristen121212posted 419 days ago -
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This movie was very intense and you get into the story from the begening. It's like a dream in which you get confused between reality and ireality. A very philosophical film, that not everybody likes.
posted 804 days ago
