See more movie reviews

The Science of Sleep (R, 2006)

common sense media says

Charming and strange, with lovely animated scenes.

parents & educators say
See 2 reviews | Review it

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this arty French film consists mostly of fanciful/dream-like scenes that can seem nonsensical and lack a clear narrative drive. (In other words, kids won't be clamoring to see it.) There's some slapstick violence (falls and fisticuffs with enlarged hands), and Stéphane draws "disaster" images for the calendar company where he works (which also produces calendars featuring naked women). The movie includes brief shots of Stéphane naked in a bathtub and emerging to don a robe. But his desire for Stéphanie is rendered metaphorically, in dreamy images of heroic feats and horseback riding. Characters smoke cigarettes and drink at a party. Some profanity.

Positive messages: This is an extremely internal, subjective tale that emphasizes the protagonist's childish desires: He wants to be loved and nurtured, but he behaves selfishly and naively.
Violence: Slapsticky and hallucinatory violence, including a piano carried on a stairway that falls onto the protagonist (causing a sprained arm); a bump on the head that produces blood; Stéphane's childlike calendar drawings depict disasters (plane explosion, earthquake); an antic "fight" with oversized hands.
Sex: The protagonist works in an office that produces "nudie" calendars (brief glimpse of a couple of photos, some cartoonish, imagined sexual activity involving office workers); he appears in bathtub, then naked as he puts on a robe (his bottom/back is shown briefly); office workers discuss sexual desire; reference to blow job.
Language: A couple of "f--k"s (in subtitles), plus other mild profanity ("merde," "a--hole") and jokey/disparaging use of "fags."
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Some cigarette smoking and some social drinking.
Our ratings and reviews are informed by child development guidelines. Learn more.

More on The Science of Sleep

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about the nature of dreams. What do dreams "mean"? Is it possible to interpret them definitively? How do they convey unconscious or submerged desires and fears? Why don't we remember more of our dreams? How does Stéphane "act out" his anxieties in his dreams?

What's the story?

What's the story?
Following the loss of his father to cancer, Stéphane (Gael García Bernal) travels from Mexico to Paris, where he intends to sort through his family's old apartment. This rummaging brings back memories of his childhood, memories that Stéphane tends to arrange in his head in his own way (including remembering conversations with his parents on a TV talk show set made of cardboard). Stéphane is perpetually "creative": When his mother, Miou-Miou (Christine Miroux) arranges a job at a company that makes naked-girl calendars, Stéphane arrives with his own designs for a 12-month cycle -- a series of drawings of disasters. Stéphane's own disaster in the making concerns his crush on new neighbor Stéphanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg), who is also artistically inclined. She's repeatedly put off by Stéphane's incoherent action due to his difficulty in differentiating between his dreams and his waking life.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP doesn't tell a story so much as it unravels. A journey through a young man's dreams and desires, it's at once lyrical, strange, and resistant to interpretation. While this untraditional structure will frustrate some viewers, it's also enchanting and challenging, a movie that takes a mature, complex perspective on childish behavior and the culture that encourages it.

Written and directed by the ever-inventive Michel Gondry, The Science of Sleep offers up a protagonist who resists conventional identification. But if the character of Stéphane is disquieting, the movie's exploration of his individual psyche is endlessly fascinating. The fact that the story doesn't come together in a pat resolution, but rather opens out into more possibilities -- romantic, scary, and new -- only makes it more adventurous.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Warner Independent
Director: Michel Gondry
Cast: Alain Chabat, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Gael Garcia Bernal
Genre: Drama
Run time: 105 minutes
Theatrical release: September 22, 2006
DVD release: February 6, 2007
MPAA Rating: R
MPAA explanation: for language, some sexual content and nudity.
This review was written by Cynthia Fuchs
 
 

Review It

 

Review The Science of Sleep

Hang on! You need to be a member to post your review.
A safe community is important to us. Please observe our guidelines.
 

Most useful reviews by all members

bookkee
adult
 
Flag as inappropriate 
was this review useful?
helped me decide (2) | had useful details (1) | read my mind (1)
bubbo
adult
 
Science of Sleep
Funny, touching, likeable, and just plain weird movie. I liked it quite a bit and would recommend it to people who like their movies artsy and creative.
Flag as inappropriate 
was this review useful?
helped me decide (1) | had useful details (1) | read my mind (2)

More reviews ...

An independent voice for families
Age-appropriate reviews
Advice on the big issues
 

vote now

Will you see The Science of Sleep?

Won't miss it
On the fence
No way

Already seen it? What do you think?

I recommend it
It's a pass
 

Great alternatives handpicked by our editors

Browse more movies
About our rating system
ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child, some content may not be right for some kids
OFF: Not age appropriate for kids this age
Our child development rating guidelines