The Science of Sleep

Michel Gondry has used his camera to view the world with an inquisitive and child-like vision in features like Human Nature and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which he collaborated on with writer Charlie Kaufman. The Science of Sleep, in which the Frenchman also took on screenwriting duties, is another exercise in topsy-turvy reality. Here, Gael García Bernal’s lonely Stéphane is a guy who’s a little too caught up in his quirky dreams, creating an imaginary “Stéphane TV,” replete with cooking shows that feature recipes of the subconscious. Returning to his childhood home after the death of his father, he meets a kindred spirit in Stéphanie, played by the striking Charlotte Gainsbourg. When he falls in love with this woman, who grows frustrated at his odd behavior, Stéphane is forced to confront the “reality” of his life.