The Science of Sleep (2006)

IMDb Listing
I saw this again recently for the first time since its initial release, and was surprised by how much more I liked it than I did then. It’s the story of Stephane (Gael García Bernal) and his extremely tenuous romance with Stephanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg), his next-door neighbor. Stephane has what might be described as an overactive imagination, to the extent that he’s frequently unable to tell whether he’s dreaming or awake, and though Stephanie finds his creative impulses endearing she’s a little bewildered by his frequent delusions. Gondry brings the same freewheeling visual style that he lent to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, only even more so; this is as visually creative film as I can remember seeing. Visuals aside, though, I still find the emotional tenor of the film to be somewhat uneven, perhaps an unavoidable side effect of Stephane’s manic swings. Despite the seemingly unlimited access to Stephane’s emotions, it’s hard to measure the depth of his feelings for Stephanie, and in turn Stephanie as played by Gainsbourg is even tougher to read. Furthermore, the movie ends on a sour note that feels honest on the one hand but also arbitrary on the other; it feels like these two characters are near a breakthrough, and a resolution to their emotional impasse, but the movie doesn’t quite get there. Still, the movie has enough going for it that it’s a real treat to watch, and like I say, its flaws were less meaningful to me during this most recent viewing than my original one years ago. 8/10