Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004)
on DVD at home with Lucía on 6 November, 2006, in the evening.
In comparing this to The Science of Sleep, I felt that this film had a more intriguing story, but the other one was much more imaginative, inventive, and visually engaging. In fact, The Science of Sleep bowled me over so much, that it was tough in a way to watch Eternal Sunshine as a follow-up, but it was still such a pleasant departure from the normal stuff of Hollywood that I can’t really complain. Kudos to Jim Carrey for twice setting aside his buffoonery for serious roles (this and The Truman Show). I feel that this film further confirms my suspicion that no H0llywood actor, no matter how annoying, is incapable of being turned into a powerfully compelling tragic figure in the hands of a capable director. And Michel Gondry is nothing if not a capable director. I consider this “casting actors against themselves,” in that those very details of Carrey’s (and in the case of Punch Drunk Love, Adam Sandler) behavior that make him a delight to some and an irritation to others can add a touch of irony that really packs a punch in the right film (in an obvious way in The Truman Show and Punch Drunk Love, and in much subtler ways in this film).
The premise of the story is pretty dumb, and this is a large part of the reason that after seeing the trailer I had no desire to see the film whatsoever. Nevertheless, Michel Gondry is able to explore all sorts of nooks and crannies around the premise in totally idiosyncratic ways. By this I’m referring to the more endearing scenes, such as when Carrey is hiding from the sitter under the table, or when he tries to punch another kid that’s mocking him, only to be knocked over (both scenes felt Woody Allen-ish to me, but in a good way), as well as the more tragic scenes where Carrey and Winslet are desparately clinging one another in anticipation of imminent obliteration.
The Science of Sleep was a lovely film, mostly sunny with darker patches, that ended in a predictably bittersweet way with tragic connotations (nothing good could happen after the final scene, though thankfully Stéphane is able to inhabit is own pleasant dreams). Eternal Sunshine, on the other hand, is a suffocatingly tragic film that ends rather happily, all things considered. Kirsten Dunst, who is given a pretty nothing character, is able to bring together our heros to give them another chance (though it’s somewhat unclear whether they would have gotten there on their own).
(*)
La science des rêves (Michel Gondry, 2006)
The Science of Sleep
on 35mm at the Piedmont Theater, with Lucía and Sach on 15 October, 2006, at 21:35
The Science of Sleep is the most beautiful new film I’ve seen in a while. It’s exceedingly imaginative (perhaps the most imaginative film I’ve seen since The City of Lost Children. Do French directors feel pressure to live up to the legacy of Georges Mélies?), though about halfway through the film it became pretty clear that it couldn’t possibly end well. That said, Gondry gave it about as much of a happy ending as he could get away with.
Gael García Bernal has been showing up everywhere lately, and it usually makes me more inclined to see a film when I notice his name on the poster. In The Science of Sleep, he really steps outside of his normal performance (while still very much looking like himself) to transform into an awkward, insane, troubled young man with very endearing qualities. One can only imagine how much of himself Gondry poured into the character and Bernal’s performance of it.
Perhaps I’ll have more to say when I see this film again. It seems unlikely that I wouldn’t catch it again sometime.
(**)