Reviewed by Tim Wong

AS UNAPOLOGETIC fan-service for Michel Gondry-philes, The Science of Sleep leaves little to the imagination by doing all the dreaming for you: everyday objects are made out of corrugated cardboard; clouds float with the stuffing from pillows; wallpaper becomes back projection; water ripples with all the consistency of cellophane. More than any other film in his catchment, Gondry opens up a direct channel to his right-sided brain, siphoning a torrent of ideas lubricated in the sweetest of creative juices. That’s the film there. Careening from one inspired puce moment to the next, it’s easy to forget that there’s also a neglected love story screaming for our attention: Stephane (the ubiquitous Gael Garcia Bernal), introverted boy wonder, falls for next door neighbour Stephanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg), and spends the rest of the film trying to win her over – when he’s not confusing his own dreams for reality, that is.

Make no mistake: those who loved Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind will find no meat on the bone here, but rather a stripped down, narrative-bare excuse for Gondry to go-to-town on what is essentially an indulgent, extended music video. Meanwhile, those who loathed the self-conscious neurotic exhibitionism of Charlie Kaufman will rejoice in his deadweight finally being dropped, ironically liberating Gondry into drawing attention to himself in the most stylishly conspicuous way possible. And he has the Playschool aesthetic down pat, the most appealing of which we find in Stephane’s homebrew inventions, namely a delightfully imaginative ‘one-second time machine’ which makes his courtship of Stephanie all the more adorable. Special mention must go to the blithe spirit that is Charlotte Gainsbourg: for all the spiffy effects and radioactive pyrotechnics that populate big budget event movies, there’s something to be said for escapism as a pretty girl. Like me, you’ll probably want to marry Serge’s daughter by the film’s end.

» Michel Gondry | France | 2006 | In Theatres Now