In the Pipeline presents: Michel Gondry’s The Science of Sleep
To see an exceedingly imaginative and creative director like Michel Gondry let loose to all his potential on a film sounds to be an ideal way to spend of couple of hours in the dark. Certainly, that’s what his newest film, The Science of Sleep, promises to be. The story sounds to be the perfect playground for Gondry to experiment and explore. The film follows Stephane (Gael Garcia Bernal) as he returns to Paris, on the encouragement of his mother, where he takes a most mundane job, causing him to escape into his dreams. As Stephane becomes infatuated with a neighbor, Stephanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg), she begins occupying his dreams, blurring Stephane’s distinction of reality and fantasy.
Anyone familiar with Michel Gondry’s work would know his ability for exploring dreams and the surreal experiences of life. Gondry’s experimental nature no doubt arises from his beginnings in music video clips, commercials and short films. With feature film, Gondry cut his teeth on the somewhat confused Human Nature but has since come to his own with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. For those more familiar with Comedy Central, he might be known for recently directing Dave Chappelle’s Block Party.
Gondry certainly seems to have taken more freedom to cut loose with his newest film. While having formulated the original idea for Eternal Sunshine with Charlie Kaufman, Gondry’s new film will mark the first feature that he wrote by himself. Not only that but the films marks a return to France for Gondry that will hopefully only feed his creativity. Gondry certainly considers that it will do so, stating in an interview, “In America, you have to really be strong. There are so many voices you have to listen to and digest to be able to carry on with your work but in France, I find complete freedom.”
Some have been lucky enough to have already seen Gondry’s new film as it has been on the festival circuit, screening at the Sundance Film Festival and the Berlin International Film Festival. The word has been good as critics have continually noted Gondry’s playful approach to the film and his ability for the surreal. Todd McCarthy wrote for Variety.com that, ,“there’s a freewheeling exhilaration to some of the scenes augmented by the (admittedly little-used) Parisian setting and a sense of no limits.” Eric D. Snider certainly recognizes Gondry’s ability as a director in his review, writing, “The dream scenes are extraordinarily well-done. Every element of the set design, cinematography, dialogue and sound blurs the line between realism and fantasy.” From the sound of it, there is no denying that Gondry is continuing his growth into the status of auteur.
Warner Independent Pictures releases The Science of Sleep
on August 4th in New York and Los Angeles with a wider release to occur in the weeks to come.
