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Tell Others About This Page By Using This Button "THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP" (2006) (Gael Garcia Bernal, Charlotte Gainsbourg) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Moderate Moderate Heavy Minor Minor Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild None Mild None Heavy Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Extreme Moderate Mild Moderate Mild QUICK TAKE: Surreal Drama: A young man's dream world pervades his waking life as he falls for a young woman living across the hall. PLOT: Stéphane Miroux (GAEL GARCIA BERNAL) is a young man whose dream world pervades his waking life that's represented by a faux TV production where he interviews people from his past and present. He's recently returned to his childhood Parisian home from Mexico following his father's death, and his mother has arranged a job for him drawing illustrations for calendars. But when he shows up on his first day for boss Monsieur Pouchet (PIERRE VANECK), he learns from his coworkers -- Guy (ALAIN CHABAT), Martine (AURELIA PETIT) and Serge (SACHA BOURDO) -- that his role there will be less glamorous. His life back home seems more promising, as his initial interest in a young and pretty woman, Zoé (EMMA DE CAUNES), leads to her equally attractive friend Stéphanie (CHARLOTTE GAINSBOURG) who lives just across the hall from him. Not wanting her to know that, he pretends to live elsewhere, all while learning that they're kindred spirits. As he continues to toil away at his new but thankless and unfulfilling job, and he ends up falling for Stéphanie who might not be willing to reciprocate the feeling, he tries to resolve these issues and more through his dreams. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Those who like art house films, are fans of someone in the cast, or like the work of director Michael Gondry ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind") might want to. Otherwise, it's not likely. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For language, some sexual content and nudity. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: GAEL GARCIA BERNAL plays an artist with an active imagination and dream world who moves into his recently deceased father's flat, falls for Stéphanie, works at an unfulfilling job, and uses some strong profanity. He drinks some. CHARLOTTE GAINSBOURG plays the young woman who lives across the hall, a kindred spirits of sorts who isn't sure she wants their relationship to turn romantic. She smokes and drinks some. ALAIN CHABAT plays Stéphane's sex-crazed coworker who gives him advice while being disrespectful to Martine and Serge, and uses strong profanity. PIERRE VANECK plays their big boss. EMMA DE CAUNES plays Stéphanie's friend who's the one who initially draws Stéphane's eye. AURELIA PETIT plays Stéphane's coworker who has issues with the way Guy treats her and Serge. SACHA BOURDO plays their somewhat more sedate coworker who also uses profanity. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated, surreal drama. Profanity consists of at least 7 "f" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Sexually related dialogue (some of it explicit) is present, as is a simulated sexual encounter using a copy machine for the movement part, while brief male and female full frontal and rear nudity is seen, and a woman is briefly in a bathtub with a man. Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, while violence is surreal (childlike animation representing such footage) and/or absurdist (a person knocking others around with enormously exaggerated hands, etc.). Characters smoke and/or drink, there's some brief bloodiness and crude humor, while an adult son returns home not long after his father's death. Some thematic elements are present, as is some behavior that might be enticing for some kids to imitate. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there are varying amounts of shaky/bouncy handheld camera movement in the film. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Stéphane, Stéphanie, and Zoé all drink shots and then a sip of beer in a bar where others drink. Stéphane then has another shot. Miscellaneous people have drinks at a party. When Stéphane sees Stéphanie flirting with another guy, he drinks straight from a beer tap and then falls to the floor, intoxicated. Stéphane has an imagined or dreamed bit about being a drug dealer and then trying to elude the police (played for fantastical comedy). Stéphane's mom and the landlady have wine, and the latter tells Stéphane to join them for a drink, but he doesn't. BLOOD/GORE Guy farts. We see a flashback to young Stéphane with vomit on the front of his pajamas in bed. Trying to get Stéphanie to answer her door, Stéphane runs into it face-first, cutting his forehead (we see blood there, on his hand, and then a smear of it on her door when he drags his head across it). We later see the dried cut on his forehead (and the dried blood on her door). About seeing the later, Stéphane then jokingly tells Stéphanie she needs to get a dispenser out there as people are "wiping their dirty Sanchezes" on her door. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Guy refers to Martine (a woman) and Serge (a man) as "fags," with Martine asking how they can be that when they're of opposite sexes. He has a bad/condescending attitude toward both of them for most of the film. Stéphanie uses the term "retarded" to refer to a thing (some viewers might not like that reference). Guy smells his clothed armpits, asks why they smell like sperm, and then holds Serge's face into one of them. Stéphane tries to keep secret from Stéphanie that he lives right across the hall from her. Stéphane sneaks into Stéphanie's place when she leaves (by going around the balcony divider between their places and through the window), but does so to fix a toy in her place. About Stéphanie, Guy tells Stéphane that she has a really good "ass." Later, Guy refers to Stéphanie as a "stupid bitch." Martine says that being called "fags" is one thing, but being called a "dyke" is unacceptable. Preparing to move away for a long time, Stéphane asks Stéphanie if she's going to get her teeth fixed. He then says that maybe not having teeth is good for a "blow job." She then says he could sleep with half the planet and still feel underappreciated, followed by him stating he likes her "boobs." FRIGHTENING SCENES Two men moving a piano into Stéphanie's place loose control of it in the stairwell. Stéphane tries to help, but it slips, smashes his hand, and then careens down the stairwell. Trying to get Stéphanie to answer her door, Stéphane runs into it face-first, cutting his forehead (we see blood there, on his hand, and then a smear of it on her door when he drags his head across it. GUNS/WEAPONS Some miscellaneous cops wear sidearms. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Holy f*ck," "F*ck that," "Total sh*t," "Oh sh*t," "That's bullsh*t," "Sh*tty," "You're just a bullsh*t guru," "Stop that sh*t," "Blow job," "Pr*ck-tease," "Dirty Sanchez," "It's like you're touching your penis with your left hand," "I like your boobs," "Fags" and "Dykes," "Crappy," "Cretin," "It sucks," "Screw you/her" (nonsexual)," "Jeez," "We look like two dumb bitches," "Don't screw around," "Retarded" (a thing, not a person), "My ass," "What a dumb ass," "Are you out of your mind?" "Losers," "Oh, shut up," "Busting my balls" and "Stupid bitch." Stéphane fries a photo of his big boss (Pouchet) in a frying pan. As a joke, Guy picks up Serge and deposits him -- butt first - into an outdoor sidewalk trashcan. When Stéphane says, "A bird in the hand," Stéphanie jokingly completes that by saying, "Is worth two in my bush" (pubic hair). Stéphanie has a small tattoo on her back, while a miscellaneous young woman has a larger one on her arm. Stéphane's mother's man-friend pulls a tablecloth out from under objects on a table (as a magic trick type movement). Guy and Stéphane throw the former's TV off a bridge into a river. We see an imagined view of someone being on fire down on the sidewalk (he has something on him that simulates the look without him being harmed). Stéphane and Stéphanie then rush and throw some water off the balcony, but only hit a passerby with that. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A mild amount of suspenseful music occurs in a few imagined scenes. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 7 "f" words (1 used sexually, as are the terms "laid" and "screw"), 14 "s" words, 2 slang terms for male genitals ("pr*ck"), 3 for breasts ("t*t" and "boobs"), 6 asses (3 used with "hole"), 3 craps, 3 damns and 1 use of "God." SEX/NUDITY We see photos inside a calendar, one showing two nude women turned sideways and facing in the same direction (bare butts and breasts) and another facing the camera (full frontal nudity). In a dream, Stéphane sees his big boss fooling around with Martine. Stéphane then takes Martine, lays her back on a copy machine and then uses its back and forth motion to pull her spread legs toward his crotch in a mock bit of intercourse (both are clothed and no sex actually occurs). About Stéphanie or Zoé, Guy tells Stéphane that if she comes around and gives Stéphane a "blow job" in the darkroom, he can arrange that. Stéphane then questions Guy about "getting laid" being the only thing that matters. Guy comments about seeing an old man smiling about the dirty things he did with women in his past, and then says he wants to be that old man. When Stéphane says, "A bird in the hand," Stéphanie jokingly completes that by saying, "Is worth two in my bush" (pubic hair). When Stéphanie comments on having big hands, Stéphane jokes, "That means you have a big penis." In a dream, Stéphane is in a bubble-bath and Martine is suddenly in there, somewhat coming on to him (we see the side of her bare butt and she wears small patches across her nipples, but the rest of her bare breasts can be seen -- and one of those patches seems to slide off to reveal a view of her nipple as she sits back on the other side of the tub. Stéphane then gets out of the tub (the move and shot are so quick that any nudity is split-second, if present at all), and then back in (when we briefly see a glimpses of his pubic hair). Guy smells his clothed armpits, asks why they smell like sperm, and then holds Serge's face into one of them. We see Stéphanie's point of view -- through a door's fish-eye type peephole -- of Stéphane rushing over to her door (to leave a note) and then back again. She (and we) see his full frontal and rear nudity (albeit from a long and somewhat distorted view). Zoé jokingly replies to Stéphanie, "I'm no pr*ck-tease." On a blind double date with Zoé, Guy blurts out that he hopes she's not a "pr*ck-tease," prompting her to reply, "We have sex too." Stéphane passionately kisses Stéphanie. Martine shows a little cleavage. Stéphane tells Guy that not every man is a sex maniac. In a ski-lift related dream, Guy yells out to Stéphane (about Stéphanie), "F*ck her." He then tells Serge about a sexual position where you "take her from behind" on the side of the bed. In a dream, Stéphane and Stéphanie passionately kiss while clothed. About Stéphanie, Guy tells Stéphane that she has a really good "ass." On TV, there's a sarcastic comment about something not being a wet t-shirt contest. Guy tells Stéphane that if he (Stéphane) doesn't "screw her" (Stéphanie) or at least kiss her with some tongue, he won't speak to him again. Stéphane jokes with Stéphanie that all he can say in French is that he likes her "t*t" and that it makes his penis erect. Stéphane asks a rhetorical question about Stéphanie, "Would you like to sleep with my girlfriend after my cremation?" About something else, Stéphane tells Stéphanie, "It's like you're touching your penis with your left hand." When she replies that she doesn't have a penis, he says she does have a left hand. Preparing to move away for a long time, Stéphane asks Stéphanie if she's going to get her teeth fixed. He then says that maybe not having teeth is good for a "blow job." She then says he could sleep with half the planet and still feel underappreciated, followed by him stating he likes her "boobs." She later crawls into bed with him, but no sex occurs and both are clothed. SMOKING Stéphanie smokes more than 5 times, Zoé smokes once, Stéphane's mother's man-friend does a magic trick with a cigarette (and then smokes it), and we see Serge with a pipe in an imagined bit. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Stéphane chats with his dead father in a dream (we hear the father died of cancer, and the young man has moved into his father's flat). We see Stéphane lay out his father's clothes on the floor by his bed before going to sleep. As he's about to leave, Stéphane tells his mom he's sorry he went with his dad when the latter left (in the past). TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Dreams and what they mean or represent. Existentialism. Stéphane chats with his dead father in a dream (we hear the father died of cancer). The notion of parallel synchronized randomness (example: two people randomly meeting on the sidewalk and then moving back and forth in sync to try to avoid the other). Stéphane tries to keep secret from Stéphanie that he lives right across the hall from her. VIOLENCE Paintings Stéphane has made for a disaster calendar include a plane blowing up in midair (a childlike effort) as well as a Mexican earthquake (less graphic). After it twice nicks him, Stéphane throws his father's electric razor to the floor. Stéphane imagines (or dreams) having hands bigger than his entire body that he uses to throw Guy and Serge around the office. In a dream, an electric razor moves across the floor like a bug (with legs), attacking Pouchet (but only making him turn into a homeless looking man), and he then jumps out the window, but is okay down on the street. Two men moving a piano into Stéphanie's place loose control of it in the stairwell. Stéphane tries to help, but it slips, smashes his hand, and then careens down the stairwell. Stéphanie slaps Stéphane in his dream. We see an animated bit of a plane crashing into the moon, sending pieces of the latter scattered about. Trying to get Stéphanie to answer her door, Stéphane runs into it face-first, cutting his forehead (we see blood there, on his hand, and then a smear of it on her door when he drags his head across it. We see an imagined view of someone being on fire down on the sidewalk (he has something on him that simulates the look without him being harmed). Stéphane and Stéphanie then rush and throw some water off the balcony, but only hit a passerby with that. Reviewed September 6, 2006 / Posted September 29, 2006

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