Sigmund Freud once wrote that going to the movies is much like going to sleep. You dim the lights, find a comfortable seat, and open your mind to whatever images pass in front of you. In writer-director Michel Gondrys new film, The Science of Sleep he takes Freuds idea one step further, comparing the sleep cycle to an internal television station in which the dreamer is host and star of every show. Welcome to Stephane TV where a cooking show combines memories, reminiscences, relationships, and a pinch of other kinds of ships in a large mixing bowl to produce a tasty blend of Stephanes dream life. Gondry, the award-winning creator of The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, again explores the effects of love on the psyche and the effects of the psyche on love. In this mind-boggling romance, man-child Stephane (Gael Garcia Bernal) finds the woman of his dreams (literally). An artist and inventor stuck in a menial job with obnoxious co-workers, Stephane finds his alter ego in next-door neighbor Stephanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg). By constantly confusing his dream world with his waking life, however, Stephane runs the risk of permanently losing his tentative grasp of reality. He says, In dreams, emotions are overwhelming and indeed, his emotions threaten to take control of his life. Although he claims to be intrigued with the science of sleep, which includes several cycles and rapid eye movements, he is ultimately consumed with the art of dreams. When he creates his wildly colorful, visually stunning, hand-made dreams, he is an artist, inventor, and would-be lover. Similar in subject and style to dream movies such as Waking Life, Vanilla Sky, Monkeybone, and more specifically, The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, this imaginative film packs lots of entertainment, style, meaning, and, of course, emotion into a seemingly endless series of dazzling dream sequences. Copyright 2006 Leslie Halpern |
