The Science of Sleep
2006
***½
Director: Michel Gondry
Cast: Gael García Bernal, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Alain Chabat, Miou-Miou, Emma de Caunes, Aurélia Petit, Sacha Bourdo, Pierre Vaneck
Michel Gondry's follow-up to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is another mindbender, but now he's scripted it himself. This is a story of a highly creative young man who has trouble keeping his dreams and reality apart. His typesetting job in Paris may be a source of boredom but his next-door neighbour brings joy to his life. Gondry keeps us guessing what's happening for real and he employs all kinds of imaginative mechanical effects to visualise the film. The end product is a delightful romantic comedy whose whimsy can be intermittently exhilarating and exhausting.
