The Thousands

In The Science Of Sleep, Stéphane hosts a talkshow in his dreams which is filmed on a cardboard set inside his head with windows that look out of his own eyes. If you’re familiar with the work of director Michel Gondry, that’s probably all you need to know.

Without the dour conceptual genius of Charlie Kaufman’s script for Gondry’s previous movie, Eternal Sunshine Of A Spotless Mind, this film is more personal and more random. Mixing dreams with the waking world cleverly lets Gondry do whatever the hell he wants – even bringing back Dave Grohl’s GIANT SLAP-HAND from the ‘Everlong’ film clip! The visuals – felt, cellophane, cardboard, knitted wool – give the film the same warm, handmade aesthetic as his early, award-winning film clips.

And sure, Gael García Bernal’s Stéphane is charming, but his constant flights of fancy would be enormously irritating in real life. The smartest thing about the film might be that Gondry isn’t afraid to let Stéphane look like an asshole. Like Tim Burton’s Big Fish, The Science Of Sleep is about the constant struggle to integrate creative urges into the drudgery of everyday life.