The Science of Sleep (1 Viewer)

I saw The Science of Sleep the other day and I thought it was wonderful. I think it will need one more viewing to solidify that reaction, but so far, the movie is not leaving my mind. Little Miss Sunshine did that to me earlier this summer, but it did it to me on another level almost entirely. The Science of Sleep basically blew my mind.

Has anyone else seen it? If so, post your thoughts or feelings about the film here.

Nicholas, I saw it a week ago Friday and though I liked it and was amazed by some of the imagery, it didn't quite grab me as much as I hoped it would. I have to agree with you though, in that it does keep coming back to mind and pretty much demands a second viewing. Here's my short review from the Track The Film You Watch (2006) thread:

While I'd sensed from the trailers that "The Science of Sleep" wasn't my type of film, I gave it a shot this weekend as I like Gael and Charlotte. Well, I was right and I didn't like the film. I'm also NOT a fan of "Eternal Sunshine", so I think this is it for me and Gondry. I can't really put into words what I dislike about his films -- perhaps it's too whimsical or dreamy or fantastical. . .

And indeed The Science Of Sleep was all of those...

I'm not sure I'd really describe Eternal Sunshine in those terms though. There's a great deal of creativity at work in representing the main character's memories (much of it without using too much CGI), but it still felt like a "realistic" portrayal of his struggles to retain those feelings. In the end I felt it was also one of the best love stories I've seen in ages. But I suppose that may be more a factor of Kaufman's script...

I agree wholeheatedly with your opinion of "Eternal Sunshine". It has at it's heart one of the truest, and most romantic love stories. I was a big fan of Gondry from his music videos, and "Eternal" was just another great moment from him.

I'm really looking forward to "Science Of Sleep". I just hope one of the better theaters in town gets it. Out arthouse theaters are old and crappy.

I've only seen tv spots for this, but I can't seem to find any reason to want to watch this other than Gondry and its cast.

So I'm thinking I'll check it out on video.

I thought it was terrific. An interesting companion piece to Gilliam's Brazil, as it explores the conundrums that ensue when a man's fantasy (or dream) life impinges on his real one.

One thing I liked about the film was how it was able to put you inside Stephane's dream world, in which all of his weirdness makes sense, while at the same time showing how the outside world (Stephanie in particular) might be led, by his outward behavior, to view him as a creep.

One thing puzzled me, though. I'll spoilerize, as this hasn't been formallly labeled a "DISCUSSION" thread:Are we to believe that Stephane's "disasterology" calendar actually got made and was a huge success, or was this another wish-fulfillment dream? It appeared to be part of the "real" narrative, but seemed a bit optimistic to me.
--Jefferson Morris

I enjoyed TSOS. I'm a big fan of Gondry and Eternal Sunshine is one of my favorite movies... but the whole "man-child" angle really started to bug me after so long. This guy was out there, and it had me confused:

Why would Stephanie not get more seriously freaked out about Stephane, given she's not privy to his dreams? We didn't get to know enough of her character, her real character I mean, to know why. Like Eternal Sunshine, this explored the idea of someone in your mind versus someone in your life -- awesome concept. But there's only so much puerile sexual innuendo, breaking & entering, and blood smearing one can take before you just break down and call the darn police!

That said, this definitely demands a second viewing. The dream sequences were just amazing, probably the most actual "dream-like" I've ever seen on film.

As for the "calender party":

It was a dream sequence, or most of it was. Stephane's (dead) father was in attendance! But the weird (and blurry) interaction between Stephane's dreams and his waking life was the most intriguing part of the movie for me, even more so than the (half-wonderful, half-perplexing) love story.

These are just more reasons to watch this again. When I bought my ticket last night, two women in front of me looked back and said, "good luck in there" (they had already seen it)... but it went down pretty easy.

Steve,

Belated thanks for clearing that up. I didn't notice the father in that scene.

--Jefferson Morris