Whenever I go into HMV or equivalent, I tend to head to the sale section and read the description to any films that catch my eye especially those I've never heard of. I'm a big film fan, and get bored with the general drab that gets shown in the cinema, so am happy to find such interesting DVD's for as little as £3, which was the case with this film.
The Science of Sleep (or La Science Des Rêves) is a beautiful film staring Gael Garcia Bernal from the Motorcycle Diaries and written & directed by Michel Gondry, who directed Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind. I have to say I hated ESotSM, and was thoroughly disappointed with it after such rave reviews. I didn't like the characters and found the whole plot a bit silly. So this made me wary of this film, but for some reason I bought it anyway. And I'm very glad I did.
The story revolves around Stéphane, who moves to France from Mexico to be with his mother following the death of his father. He's an artist, but takes up a boring job manufacturing calenders, and thinks of returning to Mexico. However, he soon becomes infatuated with his neighbour, and finds reason enough to stay. He clearly has had a very vivid imagination from a young age, and this is explored in his dreams which come alive on screen intermingled with reality. At times Stéphane has trouble distinguishing dream from reality (as does the viewer), and his dreams become a way for him to try and sort through his troubles in waking life.
The dialogue of the film is mostly in English, but switches between some French and Spanish also, however by having subtitles on all the time (which I do with every DVD anyway) its not at all hard to follow, and somehow adds to the charm of the movie. I was pleasantly surprised with this film. Maybe it was just that I could identify with the characters more, and felt like the story, although partly based in a dream world, was much more realistic than ESotSM. Also I found it quite funny in places, and laughed aloud on many occasions. I would recommend it to anyone that likes 'alternative' films, but those looking for a chick-flick should stear clear. I think this is a film that will remain with me, and that I will happily watch again in a couple of months as it is involving but light enough to enjoy over again.
***** 4/5
The Science of Sleep (or La Science Des Rêves) is a beautiful film staring Gael Garcia Bernal from the Motorcycle Diaries and written & directed by Michel Gondry, who directed Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind. I have to say I hated ESotSM, and was thoroughly disappointed with it after such rave reviews. I didn't like the characters and found the whole plot a bit silly. So this made me wary of this film, but for some reason I bought it anyway. And I'm very glad I did.
The story revolves around Stéphane, who moves to France from Mexico to be with his mother following the death of his father. He's an artist, but takes up a boring job manufacturing calenders, and thinks of returning to Mexico. However, he soon becomes infatuated with his neighbour, and finds reason enough to stay. He clearly has had a very vivid imagination from a young age, and this is explored in his dreams which come alive on screen intermingled with reality. At times Stéphane has trouble distinguishing dream from reality (as does the viewer), and his dreams become a way for him to try and sort through his troubles in waking life.
The dialogue of the film is mostly in English, but switches between some French and Spanish also, however by having subtitles on all the time (which I do with every DVD anyway) its not at all hard to follow, and somehow adds to the charm of the movie. I was pleasantly surprised with this film. Maybe it was just that I could identify with the characters more, and felt like the story, although partly based in a dream world, was much more realistic than ESotSM. Also I found it quite funny in places, and laughed aloud on many occasions. I would recommend it to anyone that likes 'alternative' films, but those looking for a chick-flick should stear clear. I think this is a film that will remain with me, and that I will happily watch again in a couple of months as it is involving but light enough to enjoy over again.
***** 4/5
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