Often exaggeratedly cute, imaginative, whimsical, and Frenchy, Michel Gondry’s The Science of Sleep is like an Amélie for dudes. The bashful and wildly creative Stéphane lives right next door to the bashful and wildly creative Stéphanie, but she does not know this, so after each visit he pounces his feet down the stairwell, opens and shuts the front door audibly, and tip-toes back to his own apartment. Watching this, you’re anticipating Stéphanie’s discovery that Stéphane is actually her neighbor, in a revelation that manifests their latent feelings for one another.
That this doesn’t occur precisely is telling of Gondry’s ingéniosité as a storyteller; The Science of Sleep is so steeped in the makeshift cardboard imagery of Stéphane’s dreams that it is somewhat futile to laud the film for the emotions — the disappointment and frustration — that accompany its conclusion.
Jenny’s thoughts | Jit’s thoughts
by Rumsey Taylor | Source: Warner Home Video DVD
17 Feb 2007 1:08 PM | Submit Comment