The Science of Sleep (2006)

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

Director:

Michel Gondry

Writer:

Michel Gondry

Stars:

Gael García Bernal, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Miou-Miou

7 wins & 7 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 | dream world | neighbor | boyfriend girlfriend relationship | giant hand | 

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Taglines:

Stephane is inventive. Stephanie is creative. To get the girl next door will take all his imagination.

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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:

Warner Bros.

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French English Spanish

Release Date:

29 September 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Science of Sleep

Filming Locations:

Chérence, Val-d'Oise, France

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

€130,814 (Italy), 21 January 2007, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$347,925, 24 September 2006, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$4,663,809, 17 December 2006

Company Credits

Production Co:

Partizan Films, Gaumont, France 3 Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS (US prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The name of Australian rock/metal band "Hands Like Houses" was chosen from a pivotal scene in this movie which was based on a recurring nightmare the director had as a child.

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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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Alternate Versions

The French DVD edition present a alternate version of the film made of B-roll footage.

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Connections

References Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948)

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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

An inventive joy with a wicked undertone

Michel Gondry, the visually creative giant behind some of MTV's most stylistically innovative music videos, and more recently the driving force behind his and script writer extraordinare Charlie Kaufman's brilliant Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, finally makes his solitary debut, choosing to write and direct this surrealist tale of dreams, reality, and the lines some people walk between them. Fans of the visual virtuoso must have been anticipating Gondry's official declaration as auteur for some time, having salivated for a decade now as this French director continually pushed the envelope for lucky musicians.

I'm sure many saw The Science of Sleep as a proving ground that would help fans see if the eccentric director would be able to parlay all of these visually creative aspects into a more cohesive, cinematic experience. By and large, the dangerously imaginative movie succeeds on it's own, though there are a few discrepancies to note. First, it does feel that much of the way the movie is shot, in particular the scenes which stay most grounded in reality, do mimic a lot of the production values that gave Eternal Sunshine such a realistically detached value to it. Ditto with much of the stream-of-consciousness script, at times heavily emulating the flow Gondry and Kaufman helped pioneer the first time around. The actual plot is decidedly low-key, and for good reason, though at times Gondry does struggle to fill all of his microcosms with relevance. To say these values remain derivative and do not completely complement the whimsically dark storytelling taking place here though, would be to forsake the fantastic and singular joy that the Science of Sleep is.

Regardless of it's constant French avant-garde noodling, and despite the obvious parallels to Gondry's previous film, Science remains a near-masterwork, punctuated by the intoxicating rhythm of it's perceptive dream sequences, often edited with the most keen of intentions. Whether viewers will stay immersed throughout the fantasy bleed-in will be up to ones subjective threshold, and ones ability to thrive off of the magically deranged pacing that hints at underlying psychological relevance. Gondry's masterful pacing does not disappoint, culminating with the brilliant evolution of the script's supremely playful tone into something much more serious.

Of course, the sincere material would only be at home when recited by actors of a pure heart, and in this Gondry also excels by casting two leads who do everything they can to involve us in the realist fantasy. Gael García Bernal, always doing well to pick good material, finally slips into an English language role with the ease I would expect, and the luminous yet subdued Charlotte Gainsbourg radiates the earthly kind of magic that this film is all about. People with strict objective agendas stay clear, anyone else who still uses an inkling of their imagination, please dive in. It may not be perfect, but Science is surely one of the most unique and perceptive fantasies to merge with the mass consciousness in years.