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:

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

At the 2006 Berlin Film Festival, director Michel Gondry told that the main location of the film is a house where he used to live 15 years ago.

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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

References Naked Lunch (1991)

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Soundtracks

Instinct Blues
Written by Jack White (as Jack White III)
Performed by The White Stripes
Peppermint Stripe Music BMI/EMI Music Publishing
By permission from Third Man Records, Inc. through exclusive license of XL Recordings and V2 Records

User Reviews

The Weirdness of Reality

Or, The Science of Sleep. A film that rates -very- high on the weirdness scale as it tells the story of a man that has trouble keeping reality and dreamworld apart. It starts when he moves back to France to live with his mother after his father passes away. The rest of his story is a fairly normal one, just the way it is played out is rather odd.

This film had me watching it open mouthed for most of the time. From the very start of it to the very end. In fact, I might have had my mouth open from the moment it started - I didn't realize it until about halfway through. The astonishment and pleasure on my end started with the very first shots - the way things got depicted and worked out. A film that is as much a film as a true piece of art.

I can do nothing other than rating this one very highly. It is like a dream but also like reality and it explains its title and theme very clearly. Acting is good enough and the music choice is very fitting. All in all, very worthwhile material.

9 out of 10 fuzzy dreams

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