Michel Gondry’s The Science of Sleep is one of my top favorite films ever. It’s a bit older, having come out in 2006, but I just received it as a gift and felt it was the perfect uplifting movie to review as we dive into a brand new year of adventures.
The film begins in Stephane’s (Gael García Bernal) dream world, a place he oftens confuses with reality. The opening scene explains the recipe for dreams, which includes our deepest thoughts and desires, along with our daily happenings, sights, and sounds, and is topped off with a touch of randomness.
When Stephane gets a new neighbor named Stephanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg), he reluctantly falls for her and begins attempts to include her in his dreams, as well as his everyday life. This becomes a problem when he too often fails to differentiate the two worlds, therefore using the courage we feel within a dream (you know – that “it’s okay to jump off this cliff right now because I am only dreaming” feeling) to act on real world emotions. Their love story develops into something unlike anything you’ve seen before – a truly magical world where, at times, even viewers cannot interpret dream from reality. But the plot is not without its complications, making it seem borderline realistic (if at all possible).
I have always been fascinated by dreams and their amazing existence within our lives – tiny movies that play in your head while you’re asleep. Gondry epitomizes dreams, especially their ability to seem so real but make very little sense, within Stephane’s character. The whole film is beautiful – from cellophane bathtub water to flying fabric horses who can play the piano.
If you have not seen this emotionally creative and magical film, I advise you to seek it out. Be sure to watch the DVD extras to learn more about rescuing and adopting kitties, and never buying from a pet store or breeder – all set to the film’s original song “Rescue Me” (which Stephane artistically performs in a dog suit)!
May all your dreams, no matter how strange, come true in 2010…
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