The Science of Sleep
Visual marvels are still in the offering with Oscar-winning writer-director Michel Gondry (he won for co-writing “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” with Charlie Kaufman and artist friend Pierre Bismuth) in his latest head-trip. But the former music video director (whose underrated feature debut- the Kaufman-penned “Human Nature” in 2002- looks tame in comparison now) has emotional surprises in store for viewers who brave “Sleep,” a personal tale executed by a visionary who’s tackling his own insecurities and feelings head-on, and is unwilling to pull any punches with himself.
I’ve seen outlines of “Sleep’s” story incorrectly describe Stephane, the creative soul who’s Gondry’s doppleganger in “Sleep” (and is played with resonant feeling and spirit by “The Motorcycle Diaries'” Gael Garcia Bernal), as being captive to the characters in his dreams. Clearly, written by one who hasn’t seen the film. Considering the classical definition of “captive,” I would disagree with that assessment- the characters in his dreams (which are just projections of people from his real-life) have nothing to do with it. Stephane’s dreams do hold him captive, however; they color his perceptions, and distort how he reacts to reality. As a result, he overreacts to the feelings Stephanie, the lovely woman whom he lives across the hall from (though he’s afraid to acknowledge at first) and has a crush on (as played by Charlotte Gainsbourg, it’s easy to understand why Stephane would fall for her), who sees only the reality, puts out there for him.
Inspired by his own life, Gondry- for the first time working without Kaufman’s singular blend of fancy and feeling (“Sunshine” is one for all-time) in a fictional feature- looked inward to both his own flights of fancy (the stop-motion and low-tech special effects deserve consideration with the year’s best) and feelings (Stephane’s longing is achingly real), and has devised a one-of-a-kind screenplay and scenario (with strongly-realized- if one-dimensional- supporting characters) that allows for both to come alive onscreen. Among the film’s many visual delights are the dream recipies Stephane concocts of his fantasy TV show (the set of which is memorably low-tech in the art direction); the felt horse Stephane makes come alive both in reality (through technology) and in fantasy (when he and Stephanie ride it together); the ski slope they glide down together with felt snow and yarn characters (one suspects maybe a nod to “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” movie?); and the final image, with Stephane and Stephanie sailing away with the horse on a homemade boat along a river of celophane and cotton clouds.
Emotionally, he explores braver territory. Ultimately speaking, our relationships with people exist in our own minds- at least, our perceptions of those relationships do. But what if the physical reality of that relationship doesn’t equal up to what we perceive in our minds? It’s this dilemma that is at the heart of “Science of Sleep,” and what makes it resonate deeper than many would admit, many of whom- it may be safe to assume- have never experienced what Stephane is going through.
In the end, the disparity between Stephane’s real relationship with Stephanie and the fantasy of what he longs for may be too great to overcome (although the finale lends some encouragement). In the real world, his attitude towards Stephanie and her “rejection” of him (she would very much like to be friends with him) is immature and self-destructive emotionally. He holds her accountable for slights and shattered feelings he’s never actually expressed to her (and when he tries to, his hastily-thought attempts come off as rude and off-putting), pushing her further away with his passive-aggressive behavior. And he builds himself up in his own mind to be more important in her life than he really is, which is further alienating to her.
But he’s already started himself off at a disadvantage- his fantasies are so vivid to him that he’s already detached from reality. Granted, since this creative artist has been setup working as a typesetter for calenders- a bland job for any true talent (and from the looks of it, Stephane is most definitely that)- I can understand why he’d want to stay detached. But what he doesn’t let himself see is that Stephanie sees his sweetness, and cares for him; he’s too immersed in his personal vision of what their relationship could be (a romance of whimsical charm), and is in his dreams, to see what it can be in real-life, a friendship that stimulates them both and could be meaningful for both through the years, maybe even attaining in the future some version of the dream playing out in Stephane’s head through a natural progression. The obvious reaction would be to send Stephane off to a psychiatrist- or maybe even a mental institution- as a way of allowing him to sort out the differences between the emotional truth that exists in his dreams- which he tries to project too strongly in his reality- and the reality of how he projects that truth to the outside world, but that might further distance him from reality. In actuality, it’s a growth process Stephane cannot be forced into- he has to embrace it personally, realize it needs to happen, and make conscious steps towards resolving these issues for himself. I can relate; the dilemma Stephane’s going through regarding Stephanie is not foreign territory for me. I don’t feel as though I was as far distanced from reality as Stephane was, but I’ve made the same mistakes he does with Stephanie. I’ve also embraced the same sort of growth Stephane is in such desparate need of in the end, and I feel as though I have grown as a result. If Stephane is indeed a stand-in for Gondry, in the making of this film- and the hard truths he’s put onscreen- I think Gondry’s letting us know how things turn out for Stephane. Whether they were quite how he expected is a story for another time perhaps…
