The Science of Sleep (2006)
"La science des rêves" (original title)

A man entranced by his dreams and imagination is lovestruck with a French woman and feels he can show her his world.

Director:

Michel Gondry

Writer:

Michel Gondry

Stars:

Gael García Bernal, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Alain Chabat

6 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gael García Bernal	...	Stéphane Miroux
Charlotte Gainsbourg	...	Stéphanie
Alain Chabat	...	Guy
Miou-Miou	...	Christine Miroux
Pierre Vaneck	...	Monsieur Pouchet
Emma de Caunes	...	Zoé
Aurélia Petit	...	Martine
Sacha Bourdo	...	Serge
Stéphane Metzger	...	Sylvain
Alain de Moyencourt	...	Gérard (as Decourt Moyen)
Inigo Lezzi	...	Monsieur Persinnet
Yvette Petit	...	Ivana
Jean-Michel Bernard	...	Piano-playing Policeman
Eric Mariotto	...	Policeman
Bertrand Delpierre	...	Présentateur JT

Storyline

Following the death of his father in Mexico, Stéphane Miroux, a shy insecure young man, agrees to come to Paris to draw closer to his widowed mother Christine. He lands a boring job at a calendar-making firm and falls in love with his charming neighbor Stéphanie. But conquering her is no bed of roses for the young man and the only solution he finds to put up with the difficulties he is going through is escape into a dream world...

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Plot Keywords:

dream | french | mexico | neighbor | dream world | 

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Taglines:

In dreams emotions are overwhelming.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some sexual content and nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Gaumont Columbia Tristar [fr] Official site [es]

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French English Spanish

Release Date:

16 August 2006 (France)

Also Known As:

The Science of Sleep

Filming Locations:

Chérence, Val-d'Oise, France

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£130,139 (UK) (16 February 2007)

Gross:

£130,139 (UK) (16 February 2007)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Partizan Films, Gaumont, France 3 Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS (US prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Michel Gondry didn't use any chroma keys in this film (excepts the one you see explicitly in Stephane TV), but he screened the FX sequence (already done before the shooting with step-by-step method) behind the actors, so that they could see it and not imagine it, which gives them a different way of playing their parts.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Stephane: ¡Un, dos, tres, cuatro!
[Stéphane plays the drums, then the piano, then moves the cameras. "Stéphane TV"]
Stephane: Hi, and welcome back to another episode of "Télévision Educative". Tonight, I'll show you how dreams are prepared. People think it's a very simple and easy process but it's a bit more complicated than that. As you can see, a very delicate combination of complex ingredients is the key. First, we put in some random thoughts. And then, we add a little bit of reminiscences of the ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #1.1 (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Steppin' Out"
Performed by Kool & The Gang
Written by Robert Kool Bell (as Robert E. Bell), Ronald Bell (as Ronald N. Bell),
J.T. Taylor (as James W. Taylor), George Funky Brown (as George M. Brown),
, Eumir Deodato, Robert Spike Mickens (as Robert Mickens), Claydes Smith (as Charles J. Smith)
(c) 1981 EMI Longitude Music
By permission of EMI Music Publishing France SA
All rights reserved
(p) 1981 UMG Recordings Inc.
By kind permission from Universal Music Projets Spécieux

User Reviews

dreaming- what else?

it's funny to read how many people seem to be upset after having seen the film, because he was so boring for them, nearly without sense or any real plot. But what do you want of a film called "The science of dreams" (in original)? Have you ever had a dream, which really had a defined structure or felt like being the normal story of a normal day? After my opinion the film was great, simply copying the "structure" of a fantastic dream. Of course, after some minutes you won't find your way out of this chaos anymore. But that's the way it should be. Simply sitting in the cinema and no longer being able to realize, if you are still watching the film or if you have lost yourself in your own dreams. So to say, only a film for people living in two worlds, the real one and the magical one of dreaming.