by kellie abrahamson kabrahamson1@aol.com
Today there are so many films that lack originality and depth. Either they are remakes of movies that were quite fine the way they were or predictable by-the-numbers pieces that require little-to-no thought. Sometimes I really enjoy that escapism, but after a while it gets old. The Science of Sleep is a film that is certain to get you thinking. This unique cinematic experience is now available on DVD.
Stéphane Miroux (Gael Garcia Bernal) is an eccentric man living two lives. By day, he’s a stranger in a strange land. After spending most of his life with his recently deceased father in Mexico, Stéphane makes his way back to his childhood home in France at the behest of his mother (Miou-Miou). Instead of landing a creative job with a calendar publisher, as his mom had promised, Stéphane finds himself doing a far more mundane job with the company. His personal life, too, is less than rewarding. By chance Stéphane meets his neighbor Stéphanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and her friend Zoé (Emma de Caunes). While Zoé is more his type physically, he soon becomes interested in Stéphanie, who is also a creative spirit.
Stéphane’s relationship with Stéphanie soon becomes strained when the other part of his life comes to the surface. Ever since he was a child, the young man has had trouble distinguishing his dreams from reality and the problem has only gotten worse since moving to France. Stéphane quickly alienates nearly everyone around him as his dream life and waking life become more and more blurred, causing him to act in increasingly bewildering ways. With his waking-self wanting desperately to connect with his lovely neighbor, Stéphane retreats to his dreams for a fix.
The Science of Sleep is the brainchild of Oscar-winner Michel Gondry, whose quirky think-piece Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind put the former music video director’s name on the proverbial map. While his latest film is just as unique as its predecessor and has received mostly favorable reviews from critics, The Science of Sleep barley made a rumble at the box office, earning a little over $4 million compared to Eternal Sunshine’s $34 million. The film is now available on DVD and here’s hoping it finds its audience there.
The Science of Sleep DVD has some nice supplements. An audio commentary track with Gondry and the cast offers some interesting behind-the-scenes insights as does the 30 minute-plus making-of featurette. This solid documentary reveals through backstage footage and interviews how many of the stop-motion sequences were dreamed up (in some cases literally) and how they were executed. Next is a shorter featurette simply titled “Lauie”. Here we get to meet Lauri Faggioni, the young woman who created the majority of the film’s household-item-fashioned creatures. Finally, two odd little featurettes about a cat-rescue organization found their way onto the disc featuring kitty-lover Linda Serbu, who must have some really terrific connections to be able to get these added. These extras, while providing important information about feline overpopulation, seemed extremely out of place and makes one wonder why far less random things like deleted scenes or even some of Gondry’s music videos were omitted.
The Science of Sleep is a captivating, innovative film that wakes up the imagination and lingers in your subconscious long after the credits roll. The way Gondry depicts his main character’s dream world is enchanting, strange and heartbreakingly beautiful. Whimsical stop-motion scenes, complete with cotton clouds and cellophane water, add a magical, otherworldly quality that simply has not been captured on film. The story itself goes everywhere and nowhere all at once, very much like a dream. Nothing tangibly changes in the lives of these characters, but we get to know them on a deeply profound, personal level by the time it’s all said and done. Gael Garcia Bernal, who is an ever rising star thanks to his considerable talents and smoldering good looks, knocks his performance out of the park. Through all of the character’s quirks and annoyances, Garcia Bernal manages to make Stéphane human instead of a caricature, which is exactly what the character would have been in the hands of a less-skilled actor. Charlotte Gainsbourg, who is lesser known in the US, makes quite an impression as well.
The Science of Sleep is one of the most entertaining, awe-inspiring films of 2006 and it’s a shame more people have not seen it. If you’re interested in seeing something completely different from the norm, this film is certainly for you. While the story itself lacks the emotional depth of Gondry’s prior film, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, this movie takes the viewer deep into a bizarre yet somehow familiar world that must be seen to be believed.
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