The Science of Sleep

I saw this movie more than a few weeks ago, over a month now maybe? And I cannot. Get it out. Of my head. The whole thing has stuck with me as if it were a dream. I think Gondry intends to do that and he totally succeeds. It's visually breathtaking and beautiful.

Gael García Bernal plays Stéphane. This kid is so freaking talented (not to mention easy on the eyes and incredibly sensual). Charlotte Gainsbourg plays Stéphanie. I haven't seen her in anything since she played Jane Eyre to William Hurt's Edward Rochester. She's excellent for this movie. There is a realness about her that totally works next to Bernal. Honestly, I don't know that I would have cast Bernal in this role for fear that he would be far too distractingly dreamy (so to speak). But it appears all that is testament to why I am word-smithing technical manuals and Michel Gondry is creating art on film. The casting could not be better.

This movie is not so unlike Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (which I also loved) in that both are clearly (to my mind at least) little more than avenues for Gondry to explore the unreal.

The Science of Sleep is a bit more plausible in that it is specifically based in a dream world. Not much need for suspension of reality when the audience only needs to buy into one regular dude's dream world. We've all had crazy dreams. Suspension of reality was completely prerequisite to enjoying Eternal Sunshine. And even then, some people just couldn't do it.

The plot is simple. It's an easy love story and a view into one guy's kind of deranged take on reality. But it's really complex too. The characters are very real and the way they deal with their own realities is inspiring to me. I can't quit thinking about it. I will see it again for sure...