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 & 9 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 from cancer, Stéphane - Mexican on his father's side, French on his mother's side - agrees, despite his less than proficient use of the French language, on his mother's request to move back to France from Mexico, she not only letting him live in her apartment in his old bedroom in the building she owns while she stays with her current boyfriend Gérard, a magician, but she having found him a job using his graphic art skills at a calendar shop. The job ends up not being quite as she had made it out to be - it more a dead end menial job - but Stéphane is still able to eke out a friendship of sorts with his new coworkers, especially Guy, the senior employee, a bully of a man-child who obsesses about sex and who becomes Stéphane's confidante. Concurrently, Stéphane strikes a friendship with his neighbor, Stéphanie, and her friend, Zoé, Stéphane and their friendship stemming out of some mistruths, including the two artistically inclined women not divulging ...

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Plot Keywords:

dream | dream world | neighbor | boyfriend girlfriend relationship | giant hand | 

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Taglines:

Close your eyes. Open your heart.

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

There are several references in this movie to Michel Gondry's various music videos. Carrying the piano up the stairs is a reference to his video for Lucas' song "Lucas With the Lid Off" which features a very similar sequence. The dolls that Stéphane pulls out of the desk during one of the TV sequences are from his video for Oui Oui's song "Les Cailloux". The White Stripes's song in the soundtrack is a reference to the many videos Gondry has done for them. The giant hands in an early dream sequence are from Foo Fighters' "Everlong" video. Stéphane's bed and porch are similar to those from The Chemical Brothers' "Let Forever Be" video.

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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 day...
[...]

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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

Featured in The Making of 'The Science of Sleep' (2007)

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Soundtracks

Ulcer Soul
Written by Richie James Eaton
Performed by The Willowz
(c) 2005 Richie James Eaton Music BMI, Alex Nowicki Music BMI, Jessica Reynoza Music BMI,
Dan Bush Music BMI
(p) 2005 Richie James Eaton
Taken from the album "Talkincircles" issued by Sympathy for the Record Industry (2005)

User Reviews

Plot summary is inaccurate

The plot summary says that the lead character is "held captive by people in his dreams." That's not so. Stephane just can't tell the difference between his dreams and reality. He is attracted to a girl and wants to move toward a relationship, but is hampered by this problem.

This film is not at all like "Waking Life" or "Eternal Sunshine." It's like Gondry's music videos, playful and eye-popping. There's no dark conflict, as implied by "held captive." I enjoyed it a lot, though because of the essential nature of the plot, it's a bit hard to follow, which diffused the impact of the story.

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros.

Country:

France Italy USA

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 USA:

$347,925, 24 September 2006

Gross USA:

$4,670,644

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$15,116,179

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