By Vince Termini

The Science of Sleep marks the much-anticipated return of French director Michel Gondry. His 2005 documentary Dave Chappelle’s Block Party may have been the best concert film since Martin Scorsese’s Last Waltz, but his true claim to fame is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, a surprise hit in 2004. For fans of that film, Science is a worthy successor. However, there are some major differences this time around. For starters, Gondry is without the star-power of Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet, which drew in audiences and subsequently, opened many of those eyes to the real stars of that film: Gondry’s visual brilliance and Charlie Kaufman’s storytelling. The Science of Sleep is also Michel Gondry’s full-length feature debut as a writer. But not to worry, both the acting and writing that made “Eternal Sunshine” so memorable are more than made up for, with outstanding performances from the two main characters Stephane (Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal) and Stephanie (French actress Charlotte Gainsbourg) and a quirky, clever, and heartfelt script that could only have been written by Gondry himself.

The Science of Sleep is the story of a young man from Mexico who returns to his native Paris following the death of his father with the promise of his own apartment and a job (both arranged by his mother/landlord). Things get off to a rough start with his first day working at a less-than-thrilling calendar publishing firm. It only gets worse for Stephane when he injures his hand after getting caught behind two clumsy movers carrying a piano to the apartment next door. Enter Stephanie, his charming new neighbor who comes to his aid.

Though up ’til now it sounds like a typical romantic set-up, the twist comes when it is revealed that Stephane does not have the ability to decipher his dreams from reality. It is difficult to write him off as mentally ill from the start (though this is one of the only logical conclusions the film has to offer) because Gondry places the audience in Stephane’s head for the majority of the film. Through all the madness of Stephane’s dreams, Michel Gondry treats us to an oddly beautiful animated fantasy world made of anything from cardboard tubing and cellophane, to appliances and animals sewn from wool and felt. Gondry’s breathtaking, polished approach to the classic art of stop motion animation found in the film has become his trademark since he first garnered attention with groundbreaking music videos like the White Stripes’ all-Lego “Fell in Love with a Girl” and “The Hardest Button to Button.”

And that’s not all. There’s yet another unique twist to this already confusing story. Although the film takes place in Paris, most of the dialogue is in English, the commonly known language between Stephane, his French co-workers and Stephanie. The result is nothing short of hilarious, with the characters constantly mispronouncing and creating new nonsensical words (such as “schizometric”). Having Stephane and Stephanie speak to each other in an unnatural language is a brilliant way to accentuate the emotional confusion between them.

With three different languages and often no clear distinction between Stephane’s dreams and reality, The Science of Sleep is a difficult film to follow and requires full attention of its audience. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, is suggested viewing before attempting to digest Gondry’s latest work. Twists and turns, fantasy, reality, and language barriers notwithstanding, The Science of Sleep is a touching and realistic story of unrequited love. This film is for anyone who’s ever been tossed around and mixed up by vague signals as well as a solemn ode to the guy who never gets the girl he likes. Just don’t walk into the theatre and expect to leave feeling better about this age-old dilemma.

B+