The Science of Sleep - Michel Gondry

To the uninitiated it must be impressed upon that Michel Gondry is obsessed with that intricate maze of thoughts and illusions that resides within the layer of subconscious or the unexplored part of the human psyche. His own mind is capable of concocting the most unimaginable tales, and presenting them in a potpourri of images where the real cannot be distinguished from the surreal. And honestly, it’s refreshing because unlike other directors (barring few exceptional ones like the legendary Luis Bunuel), who are more focused on capturing realities of love, sacrifice, psychological conflicts, or social issues (to name a few), this one talks to your subconscious more than it does to the conscious.

Gondry steps up to the challenge of capturing the impalpable aspects of psychological complexities in his characters. He was right on target with his much renowned Eternal sunshine of a spotless mind. But with The science of sleep, he probably drifted off a little. Having said this, I must also confess that it is a Herculean task to write about or describe his movies – Dreams can only be envisioned and not transcribed. Let’s take a look nevertheless.

Stephane, a woolgathering creative illustrator, packs up his paraphernalia and leaves for France from Mexico upon the insistence of his French mother. He spends more time in his own illusionary world than in the real one out there – hosting his own talk shows, instructing his audience on how to make dreams with random thoughts, memories, songs, etc as the ingredients and the works. Back in the real world, Stephane finds out that his job is nothing close to making artsy calendars or creative designs. He is assigned to a mechanical task of placing stickers on covers (surely his desperate mother duped him to ensure his arrival). Things are not as bad as they get though. As he moves into his new apartment, he meets his charming neighbor Stephanie, and her friend Zoe, as a result of a small accident involving a large piano and two clumsy movers. A coquettish Zoe tends to an injured Stephane, arousing his interest a little bit. The feeling isn’t mutual though – Zoe is in a relationship and rather happy! So he turns his focus to Stephane who is less garrulous and approachable, but definitely more artistic and perhaps even alluringly mysterious.

In course of time Stephane and Stephanie get to know each other better and even appreciate each other’s dreamy dispositions. Their mutual empathy, however, never really transitions from that indescribable intimacy into a more tangible, stable relationship (or the thing we call love) per se. They talk about making films, play crazy games (like pretending not to be neighbors), travel back and forth in time travel devices, and infuse life into inanimate objects (On many occasions, real overlapping with the surreal), but never have a lover’s kiss or an embrace, or exhibit any chemistry that we real folks are genetically attuned to. They both know that they are in a relationship, but somehow it’s not with each other.

Soon enough, his eccentric boss gives in to his idea of launching a calendar based on recollection of various disasters (???) which surprisingly ends up as a success. During the party for the calendar launch, Stephane witnesses Stephanie flirting with another man. Blowing things out of proportion, he loses his mind and creates a small ruckus. In the ensuing tiff, Stephane declares that he doesn’t want to continue their friendship any longer, making Stephanie extremely upset. However, they decide to meet up on a formal date, but Stephane’s hallucinations again interfere in his love life, as he imagines that she never came for the date, while back in TRW (The real world) she waited for him for hours at the café. Post this episode, they decide to go their separate ways as Stephane decides to head back to Mexico. What happens in the end perhaps can only be explained by Mr. Gondry, if at all.

In the entire movie, Stephane shuttles seamlessly between his own chimerical world full of cardboard cameras, wooden cars, stuffed animals right out of a Barney’s world, cellophane seas, cotton clouds, and self-hosted talk shows, to another real one plagued by jealousy, frustration, longing, chaos and constant dealing with enervating folks. Gondry’s dalliance with his own inherent dreaminess comes across perhaps as more impulsive than premeditated (Many scenes depict his own dreams he had as a child), but he does have a firm hold over reality and emotions. In that respect the film is refreshingly innovative and even obliquely hints at the genius of its creator (watch Eternal Sunshine… and perhaps you shall concur). The biggest appeal lies in the fact that natural is as surreal as the surreal is natural – such is the skill of Gondry. His intent was never to “peripheralize” the dreams to the story, but actually make them a central to the theme – one where real and surreal had equal footing. He emphatically states, “I basically didn't want to use a dream as a tool to help the story, which is the way they are used in most movies; they're just a way to show that the character is having those feelings and they are never true. What I wanted to achieve was to show the dreams I had and show them in the context of the event during which they had occurred and put them in parallel to see what was going on and understand them maybe after the film.” He accomplishes that with flair.

That said, it cannot be denied that the fragmented, rule-defying, and lackadaisical approach to this film does not transport the viewer to the world he so desperately tries to create – like I said earlier, its mostly a potpourri of images devoid of resonance, meaning or any signs of routine. It could very well be that Gondry invaded our subconscious, pillaged our dreams, and weaved a tale that we would not remember or mind him taking. He struck a better chord with Eternal Sunshine…

Gondry’s interpretation of dreams is more scientific than Freudian, and the title is reflective of that. His interesting, and even [at best] spectacular portrayal of his interpretation coupled with the stellar performance by Gael Garcia Bernal (yeah we have heard it before, but Bernal has made it a habit to churn exemplary performances one after another) and Charlotte Gainsbourg are strong incentives to take a peek at the cotton clouds and cellophane waters. One can’t take a walk or a dip, but only watch eagerly.

Do take a look at this interesting scientific experiment. And don’t worry, it won’t put you to sleep.

Here's a dream sequence from the movie