Dreams and memories, a mixture of truth, fiction and fantasies. Writer/director Michel Gondry's "The Science of Sleep" focuses on one man that blurs the lines between true reality and his dreams.
Stéphane (Gael Garcia Bernal) moves back to his mother's apartment building in France after his father dies from cancer. She had promised him a creative job in the calendar business, which turns out to be a horrible position gluing and copying typefaces for the months and days of calendars.
A new neighbor, Stephanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg), moves in and Stéphane gets a crush on her friend Zoe (Emma de Caunes). Stephanie doesn't know that Stéphane is her neighbor until she gets a mysterious note in the middle of the night that he wrote in his sleep.
That happens to Stéphane a lot, he cannot distinguish dream from reality because his dreams are so vivid. As time goes on, Stéphane realizes he likes Stéphanie, but she rejects him saying she doesn't want a boyfriend right now.
But in his dreams, they are together.
"The Science of Sleep" is the second film in which Gondry has the woman rejecting the man and the lead character hiding within his own mind. "The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," had the characters delving into memories; erasing each other left and right. "The Science" has Stéphane creating wild dreams involving the people around him, like Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz."
The cinematography is very music video-esque. Gondry uses a mixture of real life, clay-mation, animation and, overall stunning visuals.
For all the foreign language fans, the movie is tri-lingual: Spanish, French and English. Stéphane refuses to speak in French to anyone besides his mother because he gets nervous, so his English is better. When reminiscing about his father, he speaks Spanish. Each language has a purpose in the film, adding depth to the story.
All the characters have something endearing about them. Bernal is adorable as Stéphane. He's truly a great actor that makes you feel for the character he is playing, and Stéphane needs plenty of love.
Gainsbourg may not seem like the typical love interest, she looks dowdy through much of "The Science." But that's what draws Stéphane to Stéphanie, she's not the norm, she's different. To have been made up more than she was -- makeup and better clothing -- would have ruined Stéphanie.
As a trio, Stéphane's co-workers are also hilarious, especially when they are making fun of one another.
With "The Science of Sleep" Gondry shows he has plenty of creativity and knows how to play with the visuals to create a worthwhile movie.
Originally from Des Plaines, Ill., Heather moved to Milwaukee to earn a B.A. in journalism from Marquette University. With a tongue-twisting last name like Leszczewicz, it's best to go into a career where people don't need to say your name often.
However, she's still sticking to some of her Illinoisan ways (she won't reform when it comes to things like pop, water fountain or ATM), though she's grown to enjoy her time in the Brew City.
Although her journalism career is still budding, Heather has had the chance for some once-in-a-lifetime interviews with celebrities like actor Vince Vaughn and actress Charlize Theron, director Cameron Crowe and singers Ben Kweller and Isaac Hanson of '90s brother boy band Hanson.
Heather's a self-proclaimed workaholic but loves her entertainment. She's a real television and movie fanatic, book nerd, music junkie, coffee addict and pop culture aficionado.
