History Film / TheScienceOfSleep

Originally titled ''La science des rêves'', this quirky 2006 French film starring Creator/GaelGarciaBernal and Creator/CharlotteGainsbourg and directed by Creator/MichelGondry is a surreal exploration of the nature of dreams, as well as a charming romance (sort of).

Under-appreciated creative-man Stéphane meets Stéphanie and Zoé moving into the room across from him and he helps move their piano - after getting injured he's invited in to heal his wounds. For some reason he neglects to tell them that he lives across from them, meaning every time he leaves he has to pretend to leave the building.

Things though get confusing as it becomes more difficult (for the audience) to tell the difference between what is real and what is a dream, due to Stéphane's CloudCuckoolander status as he tries to get closer to Stéphanie, making gifts for her and getting more and more angry at life that he seems unable to cope with.

* AllJustADream
* AllMenArePerverts: Or so Guy keeps trying to convince Stéphane.
* AmbiguousEnding: [[spoiler:It's hard to really conclude how the film ends. Stéphane loses his job, he decides to move back to Mexico, and gets in one last fight with Stéphanie before falling asleep on her bed. She then strokes his hair, and then it cuts to them riding a life-sized Golden the Pony Boy before going away on the model boat. Given that the film has constantly played with the question of what's real and what's not, this could be how Stéphane wanted the story to end.]]

* BettyAndVeronica: Stéphanie is firmly in the "Betty" category, and Zoé, as an aspiring musician has elements of the "Veronica".

* BunnyEarsLawyer: Despite even his own doubts, Stéphane is pretty good at his job. [[spoiler: His "Disasterology" idea becomes a huge hit, after all. Too bad he's virtually fired due to constantly missing work.]]

* {{Deconstruction}}: It can become this for the "daydreamer" type of people. While Stéphane's dreams and hallucinations are vivid and beautiful, he seems like he's losing touch with reality, and what's more, his constant daydreaming makes him a man child who seems like he can't understand most of what people in his life says or do. What's worse, he wants a relationship with a girl who is, although quirky as him, its more mature and adult in her life, and he ends, innocently, becoming a StalkerWithACrush to her.

* GenreDeconstruction: It basically shows what would happen if you were basically like Stéphane, namely [[spoiler: your work performance suffering and the girl next door being put off by your mannerisms.]]
* {{Hallucinations}}: Stéphane’s dreams sometimes intrude on his waking state, to the point that it's not easy to tell which scenes are real and which are his imagination.
* LimitedWardrobe: Bernal wears the same maroon-colored suit in all of his scenes.

* OneSteveLimit: Averted.

Originally titled ''La science des rêves'', this quirky 2006 French film starring Gael García Bernal and Creator/CharlotteGainsbourg and directed by Creator/MichelGondry is a surreal exploration of the nature of dreams, as well as a charming romance (sort of).

%%* {{Meganekko}}: Stéphanie.

* RealityEnsues: It basically shows what would happen if you were basically like Stéphane, namely [[spoiler: your work performance suffering and the girl next door being put off by your mannerisms.]]

* AmbiguousEnding: [[spoiler:It's hard to really conclude how the film ends. Stéphane loses his job, he decides to move back to Mexico, and him and Stéphanie get in one last fight before Stéphane falls asleep on her bed. She then strokes his hair then it cuts to them riding a life-sized Golden the Pony Boy before going away on the model boat. Given that the film has constantly played with the question of what's real and what's not, It could be in Stéphane's head or not.]]

Originally titled ''La science des rêves'', this quirky 2006 French film starring Gael García Bernal and Charlotte Gainsbourg and directed by Creator/MichelGondry is a surreal exploration of the nature of dreams, as well as a charming romance (sort of).

Originally titled "La science des rêves", this quirky 2006 French film starring Gael García Bernal and Charlotte Gainsbourg and directed by Creator/MichelGondry is a surreal exploration of the nature of dreams, as well as a charming romance (sort of).

* CloudCuckoolander: Stéphane.

* [[spoiler:DidNotGetTheGirl]] ''Maybe''.
* DreamSequence
* GirlNextDoor: Stéphanie.

* ManChild: Stéphane
* [[spoiler:MaybeEverAfter]]
* {{Meganekko}}: Stéphanie.

* [[spoiler:BittersweetEnding / GainaxEnding: It's hard to really conclude how the film ends. Stéphane loses his job, he decides to move back to Mexico, and him and Stéphanie get in one last fight before Stéphane falls asleep on her bed. She then strokes his hair then it cuts to them riding a life-sized Golden the Pony Boy before going away on the model boat. Given that the film has constantly played with the question of what's real and what's not, It could be in Stéphane's head or not.]]

* [[spoiler:DidNotGetTheGirl]]

* BunnyEarsLawyer: Despite even his own doubts, Stéphane is pretty good at his job. [[spoiler: His "Disasterology" idea becomes a huge hit, after all.]]

* {{Deconstruction}}: It can become this for the "daydreamer" type of people. While Stéphane's dreams and hallucinations are vivid and beautiful, he seems like he's losing touch with reality, and what's more, his constant daydreaming makes him a man child who seems like he can't understand most of what people in his life says or do. What's worse, he wants a relationship with a girl who is, although quirky as him, its more mature and adult in her life, and he ends, innocently, becoming a StalkerWithACrush to her.

* WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs

Originally titled "La science des rêves", this quirky 2006 French film starring Gael García Bernal and Charlotte Gainsbourg and directed by [[MichelGondry Michel Gondry]] is a surreal exploration of the nature of dreams, as well as a charming romance (sort of).

* [[BilingualBonus Triligual Bonus]]: Considering that Mexican Stéphane and his French acquaintances have a habit of maneuvering through the language barrier through the use of English.

* [[Deconstruction]]: It can become this for the "daydreamer" type of people. While Stéphane's dreams and hallucinations are vivid and beautiful, he seems like he's losing touch with reality, and what's more, his constant daydreaming makes him a man child who seems like he can't understand most of what people in his life says or do. What's worse, he wants a relationship with a girl who is, although quirky as him, its more mature and adult in her life, and he ends, innocently, becoming a StalkerWithACrush to her.