Imaginative surrealism!

The Science of Sleep is a wildly inventive and imaginative film from the same writer/director who also brought us Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Like most of Michael Gondry's movies it's an acquired taste. While the film was not warmly received by critics who called it pretentious, incomplete and confusing, I found the film to be a wonderful and unique experience. In a nutshell: The Science of Sleep is a surrealistic concoction of the weird and wonderful, the magical and inspirational, and the infantile and mischievous.

This is Michael Gondry's bizarre imagination at its very finest: awe-inspiring visuals, great concepts and enchanting characters. As Gondry is addressing a scientific mystery of the chemical imaginings of the brain (that is, dreaming) you can definitely expect something vastly distinctive and different.

This deep, provocative film presents the story of a young man who thrives in the dream world, but appears awkwardly dysfunctional in reality. Since childhood, Stéphane Miroux (Bernal) has often been withdrawn from reality both psychically and emotionally. Stéphane has been living in Mexico for years, but is drawn back to his childhood home in France following the death of his father. His mother Christine (Miou-Miou) promises her son a creative job; however Stéphane soon realises that this "creative job" is a mundane career at a calendar-printing company. Stéphane is charmed when he inadvertently meets Stéphanie (Gainsbourg): a girl who has recently moved into his building. Although Stéphanie is initially charmed by the enigmatic Stéphane, she becomes increasingly confused by his childish nature and an unstable connection with reality. As Stéphane is unable to find tranquillity in his newfound love for Stéphanie, he searches for the answer in his dream world.

There's also a fascinating sub-plot concerning the happenings inside Stéphane's head: there's a charismatic host of "Stéphane TV" expounding on "The Science of Sleep" before an assortment of cardboard cameras.

For viewers with an actual imagination, you will find the blurred line between dreaming and reality both fascinating and mesmerising. Director Gondry creatively utilises cinematic techniques to help the audience distinguish reality from the dream sequences. Subsequently, it's an easy task to comprehend the world from Stéphane's complicated, surrealistic point of view. Gondry even uses a smattering of admirable low-tech animation techniques that are a prominent of the dream scenes. I must also mention the creative contraptions featured in the film: from the one-second time machine to the 3D glass, and even cardboard objects that principally feature whenever the surrealistic side of Stéphane has taken control.

This is a beautifully conceived film that uses brutality in its honest portrayal of relationships and friendships. The Science of Sleep can accurately be described as an eloquent dream - each scene is not constructed in a clear linear narrative order: instead the film is structured as a series of moments which are stimulated by the protagonist's perplexed emotions as well as his need to love and be loved.

Gael García Bernal delivers an appealing, lively portrayal of the confused central character. I couldn't fault his performance at any point throughout the movie. He is the one who carried all the dream sequences, and was supported by minor characters. Charlotte Gainsbourg is one of the key characters who rarely appears, surprisingly. But she is a pivotal cog in the machine and is memorable when given screen-time.

The Science of Sleep is highly entertaining viewing. This is a small-time gem directed to perfection by Michael Gondry. The visuals deserve recognition and are essentially faultless. The only marginal flaws lie in the script. It meanders frequently and plods despite some talented filmmaking. However this is insignificant and slightly detracts from the overall film value. Aside from that the film is a beautiful creation imbued with marvellously strange characters and an obvious vivid imagination.

8.25/10