The Science of Sleep

In the moment, Gondry and Bernal almost manage to give quirky a good name.

The movie plays like an exhausted hallucination, disjointed and frustrating, much of it owing to the lack of chemistry Gondry allows between his stars.

In the end, after your time with it, you'll recall it with a smile, remembering its childish wonderment and mischievous sense of humor.

It's all very cosmopolitan (the dialogue is English, French and Spanish), very independent, a wee bit juvenile and very confusing, of course. But The Science of Sleep is also remarkably magical and desperately romantic beneath it all.

The whimsy Gondry whips up soon goes wispy as we wait in vain for all this sweet-natured silliness to reveal a meaning that isn't transparently obvious.

Gondry's creative breeze of a movie is fun while it lasts, and that's more than you can say about a whole lot of movies.

More amazing work from Gondry. If you're interested in a basic narrative, look away; if you prize inventive filmmaking, don't miss it.

The Science Of Sleep is truly a delight at times, a startlingly original piece of work that's not as accessible as Eternal Sunshine but is every bit as magnificent when in full flow.

It's kind of weird and very French, but don't let that scare you. The Science of Sleep is well worth your time.

A nightmare

It's not that The Science of Sleep is a terrible film. It's not. It's just that it doesn't operate properly and there's nothing worse than seeing a film in which obvious design and potential is ultimately unfulfilled.

Something like a Luis Bunuel film, but with politics replaced by fashion. It is, essentially, a hipster wet dream.