The Science of Sleep (2006)

The Science of Sleep (2006) is a whimsical, bittersweet romantic fantasy about Stéphane, a shy, imaginative young man who returns to Paris after his father’s death and drifts between a dull calendar‑shop job, a complicated friendship with his neighbor Stéphanie, and an inner life of vivid, tactile dreams. Directed by Michel Gondry and anchored by a tender performance from Gael García Bernal, the film follows Stéphane as his fantasies—handmade stop‑motion creations, cardboard cityscapes and playful visual tricks—bleed into everyday reality, making courtship, loneliness and grief feel both comic and disorienting. Watching the movie is a sensory experience: expect inventive, DIY visuals and surreal sequences that turn ordinary objects into dreamscapes, a quirky, melancholic tone that mixes awkward humor with real emotional pain, and a narrative that deliberately blurs what’s real and what’s imagined. The result is a poetic, sometimes frustrating exploration of creativity, desire and the difficulty of connecting with others—perfect for viewers who enjoy visually daring, emotionally intimate films that leave you thinking about the border between dream and waking life.

Actors: Gael García Bernal, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Miou-Miou

Director: Michel Gondry

Runtime: 105 min

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

6.8 /10 70 /100 7.2 /10 7.0 /10