#32, 3/27 – The Science of Sleep (2006) (nqpdd)

In each of the three fiction features Michael Gondry’s directed there’s been a heaping helping of fantasy, whimsy, and outright goofiness. And since Gondry’s strengths are visual, this tendency can make for some interesting scenes.

It can also make for some problems, though. Both of his first two features (which were written by my favorite whipping boy, Charlie Kaufman) featured somewhat silly scenes (curious sidetrips, really) which I often thought were out of place. I certainly believe Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (which I liked, but with qualifications) would be improved immensely if someone cut the stuff with Dunst and Ruffalo. And my mild distaste for Human Nature also owes to that occasional feeling of the movie working against its own momentum.

I have no such problems with The Science of Sleep, however. I really liked it, and I liked it without reservation. And that’s largely because the very qualities I thought didn’t fit correctly in those two earlier films seem much more at home here. Sure, I still find the whole thing a little ungainly, but I don’t think there’s anything in the movie which detracts from its emotional core. And that’s why I consider this is a big step forward for Gondry.