Movie review: The Science of Sleep
The Science of Sleep
October 17, 2006
Wes Armstrong
Director Michel Gondry returns to the world of sub-psyche hallucinations that he first presented in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind with his new film, The Science of Sleep. But this time around, there are more oversized stuffed animals running around and less of a sense of overall direction.
Stephane (Gael Garcia Bernal) has had his dreams and reality mixed up since he was a little boy. After his father’s dies, he moves from Mexico to France and his visions gain some interesting new characters. Stephane’s escape into fantasy is likely a response to his poor social skills. This results in pathetic attempts at a love life because he finds it easier to converse with the characters amidst his child-like land of cellophane water, cardboard towns, and textile animals where he has control of his surroundings, than to face the grim reality of Paris’ streets.
The Science of Sleep is a visual mind trip through sights and sounds that leave you bewildered and reminiscing childhood fantasies. Unfortunately, the audience will have as much difficulty differentiating real life and dream as Stephane does, and will want to slap him for his infantile attempts to impress his romantic interest. But at least you get to see a knitted pony ride in a cotton boat that grows trees.
Now you go...
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