This is a simple story told in the most creatively chaotic way. A kaleidoscope of stunning visuals, intricate mechanics and curious characters unfolds, revealing the tale of Chloe (Audrey Tautou) and Colin (Romain Duris) who fall in love.
Their Parisian romance, set in a non-specific era, is based on the 1947 cult novel by writer and musician Boris Vian, L'Ecume des Jours. The story is predetermined by an orchestrated manuscript, constructed on a revolving conveyor belt typewriter. It dictates the development of Colin’s Pianocktail – a piano that mixes cocktails to the tune played; dinner tables on roller boots; the couples’ first date in a cloud pod that zooms over the rooftops of Paris and their glass car, right up to the tragic illness that befalls Chloe, of a water lily in her lung.
There is a magical feel to the filming, but with a mechanically intricate pre-concept. The charmingly surreal stop-motion sequences, the colours and capacities of the set to change along with the mood of the film and the relentless dynamics speak of a vision of the self, way beyond what we know to be normal existence.
There is much going on – French director Michel Gondry’s obsessive hoarding of metaphors, inventions, visual stimuli and specific narrative quirks – all of which are investigated further in a fascinating series of DVD extras. Featurettes include From the Film to the Book, About the Novel, In The Head of Michel Gondry, Deleted Scenes and the charming Animated Letter From Michel To Audrey, in which he asks her to play the lead.
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