The Science Of Sleep (DVD)

...go. Half an hour into the film, however, I was on the point of switching it off. For some reason I stayed with it and was eventually glad that I had.

Stephane Miroux (Gael Garcia Bernal) has just returned to Paris from Mexico following his father's death. A creative artist, he has, thanks to his Parisian mother (Miou Miou), landed a job with a company that makes calendars. Stephane discovers on his first morning that the job merely ...
...off down the winding stairs to work one morning, Stephane has to help carry a piano up to the flat next to his where Stephanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg) is moving in. He injures his hand in the process and has it bandaged by Stephanie's friend Zoe (Emma de Caunes). Stephane initially appears to be attracted to Zoe, but the similarity in their names hints that the real attraction may turn out to be between Stephane and Stephanie. Things do not run smoothly, ... more

I had only vaguely heard of this film and probably would never have got round to watching it had a friend not lent it to me. I am certainly no film buff and had not seen anything of Michel Gondry's before, but knowing that he had made music videos for Bjork was more than enough to encourage me to give 'The Science of Sleep' a go. Half an hour into the film, however, I was on the point of switching it off. For some reason I stayed with it and was eventually glad that I had.

Stephane Miroux (Gael Garcia Bernal) has just returned to Paris from Mexico following his father's death. A creative artist, he has, thanks to his Parisian mother (Miou Miou), landed a job with a company that makes calendars. Stephane discovers on his first morning that the job merely involves typesetting and is not impressed.

Setting off down the winding stairs to work one morning, Stephane has to help carry a piano up to the flat next to his where Stephanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg) is moving in. He injures his hand in the process and has it bandaged by Stephanie's friend Zoe (Emma de Caunes). Stephane initially appears to be attracted to Zoe, but the similarity in their names hints that the real attraction may turn out to be between Stephane and Stephanie. Things do not run smoothly, however, and neither side is ready to reveal their true self: Stephanie and Zoe lie to Stephane about their jobs, whilst he tries to hide the fact that he lives next door and is the son of Stephanie's landlady (since his mother owns the building).

The film is a blend of reality and strikingly typical dream sequences that are at times difficult to distinguish. Some of the dream scenarios contain authentic touches from Gondry's past, where for example he has enormously oversized hands. I didn't, however, appreciate the early one where he runs riot in the office; the handmade cityscape viewed through the window appeared particularly tacky. This is where I almost switched off but then decided to hang in.

The film began to grow on me from that point on. It seemed to be a refreshing change from the slickness of Hollywood. Stephane and Stephanie each wear the same clothes throughout most of the film; Stephanie, who hand-crafts charming artifacts, appears to have little or no make-up and is usually seen in a cosy jumper and jeans. No-one appears to be overly attractive, and my feeling was that the film was truer to life because of this. The dream sequences, of course, penetrate a fantasy world. Accessories such as a felt typewriter and stuffed animals were created for the film by Lauri Faggioni, and some of these are just enchanting. We see cellophane water gushing out of taps, and twisting mazes of cardboard motorways busy with cars crafted from toilet rolls. It's an animator's paradise.

In essence this is a film about relationships, or to be more precise, the uncertain moves towards a relationship that entail misunderstandings, rejection, unfortunate chances of fate. There are moments of joy in amongst the complications, however, and the dream episodes make this a film apart from the run-of-the-mill romantic comedy. The plot is not the film's strong point. The elements of fantasy and the whole amateurish or hand-made feel of the artifacts and the stop-motion animation are what make this film a delight.

Bernal and Gainsbourg are for me perfectly cast as Stephane and Stephanie. They come over as natural people and I felt that they genuinely enjoyed making the film. Alain Chabat as Guy at the office appears totally obnoxious at first, but he turns out to be a loyal friend to Stephane. Aurelia Petit as Martine, another office colleague, is not the most attractive woman and it seems so typical that she tends to pop up in Stephane's dreams, on one occasion sharing a bubble bath with him.

The film has a 15 certificate because of bad language and sexual references. Running time is around 102 minutes. The majority of the film is in French (subtitled, of course), but be prepared for a little English and Spanish, with the odd bit of gobbledygook in one or two of the dream sequences.

Extras on the DVD kick off with a commentary on the entire film by Michel Gondry, Gael Garcia Bernal, Charlotte Gainsbourg plus one or two others. I found this interesting in parts, but Gondry speaks English with a very heavy accent and there are one or two comments in French which are not translated. At one point the group were in fits of laughter but I had no idea why.

More interesting for me was the extra on the making of the Science of Sleep, particularly as it gives an insight into the creation of some of the artifacts and the animated sequences. A featurette on Lauri Faggioni, who made the animals and accessories, was quite delightful. Much as I love cats, however, I was somewhat surprised at the inclusion of an extra on Linda Serbu's rescue home for her darling 'kitties' as she calls them. At one point in the film, Stephane and two of his colleagues don cat costumes and perform the song 'Rescue Me', which features again here in a different context. I just found Serbu's manner a little off-putting, but it's all in a good cause. As usual there is a trailer to the film.

This is obviously not a film that everyone will appreciate. If you are looking for action-packed drama or a thrilling plot with slick characters, stay away. If, however, you are interested in the tentative moves of human beings that are attracted to each other, or the world of dreams (the film's original title in French means 'The Science of Dreams') and you are looking for something a little different that is in some ways charming and in others rough round the edges, you will most likely enjoy The Science of Sleep. Four stars from me.

Also posted on Dooyoo under my username frangliz. 

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