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The Science of Sleep
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - Australia - Umbrella Review written by and copyright: James-Masaki Ryan (31st July 2025). |
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The Film
 "The Science of Sleep" ("La Science des rêves") (2006) Stéphane (played by Gael García Bernal) is a young man who has traveled to live with his mother (played by Miou-Miou) in France after the death of his father in Mexico. He is very creative and imaginative through arts and crafts, though he has a hard grasp on separating his dreams and reality, with his insecurity and anxiety being more prevalent in his awakened state. He falls in love with his neighbor Stéphanie (played by Charlotte Gainsbourg), who shares a similar creative mindset, but she is more on the side of reality and logic, never being able to complete her own creations. Will he be able to win her over, or will he only push her away further with his anxiety in the way? Filmmaker Michel Gondry made a name for himself in the world of music videos since the 1990s, with his works having intricate handmade qualities and the innovative visual techniques. From building sets from cardboard cutouts and using tricks with depth perception, his works were in line with early filmmaker and magician Georges Méliès with his imagination being used to the fullest extent. His second feature length film “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” from 2004 proved that his unique visual style was possible for cinematic works, and during this time he experimented with digital effects enhancing the handcrafted analog techniques both in the feature as well as his music video works. With his follow-up film “The Science of Sleep”, the dial was turned back, by experimenting more with in-camera effects and not relying on modern digital manipulation. In addition, this would be a more personal work for him, with Gondry being the sole screenwriter and using his own memories and dreams as inspiration for the story. While the character of Stéphane is not particularly a mirror for Gondry, there are some similar qualities between them. Stéphane has a bizarrely wild imagination that is not at all conforming. His idea for a calendar based on twelve disasters from the twentieth century with violent yet childlike artwork for each month is something he is quite serious about while everyone around him thinks it is utterly weird. He has numerous inventions that are sometimes practical such as how he turns off the light in his bedroom, while others like the one-minute time machine is not particularly useful in most situations. With Gondry, his unusual sense of wonder and thinking have led him to direct some of the most creative works in the medium, even if they are nowhere near being conventional. The film's narrative is always seen through the eyes of Stéphane, and literally so. The opening sequence has him in a makeshift television studio made of cardboard and egg cartons, with two square windows behind him. These are representing his eyes and the studio is inside the mind of Stéphane. Even while supposedly asleep, his mind is always working in overdrive, from creating music (which Gondry is also a musician) to artistic visuals with his little kitchen on the set. But with Stéphane the major concern is that reality and dreams often intertwine, enough to the point that he cannot tell them apart. About half of the film takes place in his dreams with surreal moments, from his hands becoming so giant that he cannot work anymore. His electric razor growing legs and moving on its own. Instances of him flying out into the city which is made of cardboard cutouts. There isn't a simple cut or a fade into the dreams but delicately so without one noticing that it is suddenly a dream. With conversations it is certain that he is frequently drifting in and out of sleep, as his new co-workers at the ad agency have told him. Stéphane gets the job at the agency through his mother thinking it would be a stepping stone for his creative ideas, but instead he is tasked with the trio of coworkers that help him, Guy (played by Alain Chabat, Martine (played by Aurélia Petit), and Serge (played by Sacha Bourdo) are not particularly on the side of their company with the average work they do, but they are also not completely on the side of Stéphane either, but his charm and his enthusiasm bring them closer together in an odd way. The main focus is with Stéphane and his love for his neighbor Stéphanie. But unlike the traditional romantic comedy where awkwardness leads to connection, everything that he does leads to the connection being furthered away. His first encounter with Stéphanie and her friend Zoé (played by Emma de Caunes) leads Stéphanie to believe that he is interested in Zoé instead. Although he lives right across the hall from her, he fails to tell her that, so she is led to believe he lives in another building. Each time he tries to tell the truth, it leads to more awkward encounters after another. The only way the are able to connect is when the surreal and their imaginations click together, and that is when the smiles can be seen. And again unlike the traditional romantic comedy, this film does not see the two love interests fully connect. It is a story about anxieties and not being able to conform to realistic ideals, and this may not be what audiences would expect in a traditional cinematic story, it is closer to a realistic portrayal of mental issues and the difficulties in connecting. Though many of these aspects can sound dark and depressing, there is a lot of humor to be found in "The Science of Sleep". The sex crazed Guy and his choice of words, The soliloquies in Stéphane's mind is playful and funny, and the situations overall can bring a lot of smiles to faces. The actors do a great job with the characters which range from bizarre to straight, but the highlight of course are the visuals. Gondry uses every analog trick in his arsenal to the screen in the dream sequences. There are stop motion animation such as with the razor and the cars in the city, hand crafted works such as Stéphane's car and his television studio, the use of rear screen projection in the flying scenes, and even slight of hand magic on screen. Cinematographer Jean-Louis Bompoint worked with Gondry on some of his music videos and uses a handheld style that is documentary like and playful, showcasing a dreamlike yet realistic quality throughout. The visuals are absolutely stunning with many instances of "How did they do that?" for the visual tricks, yet also with a quality of "I could do that" as well with the handmade nature. "The Science of Sleep" was first screened on February 11th, 2006 at the Berlin International Film Festival. It was followed by festival appearances in Seattle and Moscow in June and a general theatrical release in France on June 30th, 2006. Playing generally on a smaller scale as an arthouse film around the world in theatrical releases throughout 2006 and 2007, the film was profitable with a $15.3 million worldwide gross against a $6 million budget. While there were some divisiveness critically as some saw it as just a visual spectacle and others just looking at the performances, it was still fairly well received, with the film receiving awards at Cannes, Sitges, Paris Cinema, and others. The film received multiple DVD releases around the world after its theatrical run in 2007, and then a Blu-ray release in France a year later in 2008. Umbrella now brings the film to the Blu-ray format for the first time in Australia, with many vintage extras plus a few new ones for its release. Note this is a region ALL Blu-ray
Video
Umbrella presents the theatrical version of the film in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio in 1080p AVC MPEG-4. The HD transfer comes from Gaumont. The transfer itself does not seem to be a new one, but from an existing HD master. Shot on 35mm film, the film looks good in terms of sharpness, framing, and stability, as it was most likely that the HD master was created soon after the film's completion, so it is devoid of damage, debris, or other issues. But technology has certainly improved for film to digital transfers over the years, and the nearly twenty year old HD master does not have the polish or shine that it most likely could have. Colors are fair, but none of them particularly shine or have a bright edge. Colors are fair, but darker portions do not have a lot of detail. This is certainly much better than the DVD transfers that many have seen before, but it feels slightly lacking in terms of HD transfers. In addition to the theatrical version, Umbrella presents the alternate version of the film "Version B" in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio in 480i MPEG-2. The transfer comes from an SD master by Gaumont. When the film was released on the DVD format, Gondry also created an alternate version, using deleted scenes and alternate takes. There are certain sequences that are exclusive to Version B, such as the arrival at the airport, the reason that Guy wears the red knit hat the first time he is introduced, and others. It is also a much shorter edit, with some scenes being cut altogether in this version. The outcome and the narrative is basically the same and there are no drastic changes in character or story, but an interesting experiment to create an alternate version. The transfer unfortunately comes from a standard definition source and presented in SD, so there are issues with colors, depth, and sharpness being much less in quality in comparison to the theatrical version. The theatrical version's runtime is 105:55 while the "Version B" runtime is 75:08.
Audio
Theatrical Version: English/French/Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English/French/Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo The theatrical version has both lossless 5.1 and stereo tracks in its original multilingual form, with about 50% of the dialogue in English, 45% in French, and 5% in Spanish. Dialogue is always centered and always clear and well balanced. The surrounding audio tracks are used for music and effects very well, with an immersive experience especially in dream sequences. The dialogue, music and effects are well balanced throughout and there are no issues of hiss, pops, or dropout to be heard. An excellent job with the lossless audio tracks. There are optional English, English HoH subtitles for the film in a white font. The standard English subtitles are on by default and translate the non-English portions. The English HoH track translates and captions all the dialogue. Version B: English/French/Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo The alternate version comes with a lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo track. The audio is much lower here in comparison to the theatrical version and sounds more muffled, though dialogue is still understandable. There are burned-in English subtitles for the film which are only for the non-English portions. The subtitles are not perfect, even once subtitling Guy's name as "Gay" which I assume was an error by the translator and not by the character.
Extras
(1) Audio commentary on the theatrical version with director Michel Gondry, and actors Charlotte Gainsbourg, Sacha Bourdo and Gael García Bernal (2007) This group commentary has Gondry discussing the film with three of the stars. Gondry discusses some of the behind the scenes process and the intricate visuals of the dream sequences and how they were achieved as well as examples of his personal touches for the characters and settings. The actors talk about their characters and there are some discussions over the interpretations of their performances. A lively commentary, though it has a few moments with Bourdo, Gainsbourg, and Gondry speaking French but then realizing that Bernal as well as the English speaking listeners would not understand. These portions have not been subtitled and kept as is. in English/French LPCM 2.0 without subtitles (2) Audio commentary on the theatrical version with author and filmmaker Gregory Ferris (2025) This new and exclusive commentary has lecturer and filmmaker Gregory Ferris discussing the film, with topics of the dreamlike qualities and comparisons and references to Gondry's other works. Unfortunately, this commentary was a chore to listen to, as he discusses fairly obvious points that are on screen, as well as having way too many dead spaces in between. in English LPCM 2.0 without subtitles "Dream Spaces: The Cinema of Michel Gondry" 2025 video essay by Andrew Frost (15:01) This video essay looks at the early life and career or Gondry as well as the themes of dreams that are within his works especially in “The Science of Sleep”. While the spoken content is relevant and well scripted, the visuals are incredibly irksome. The short was animated entirely with AI generated visuals, both with photorealistic and drawn animated sequences. This seems like an incredible disservice and a slap in the face to Gondry, whose work has always used hand crafted visual techniques in the analog realm, from cardboard cutouts, miniatures, bigatures, rear projection, mirrors, and more without the assistance of CGI, let alone AI. To see an entire short with fairly obvious AI generated video with odd spelling errors in backgrounds, blurriness, unnatural human and animal movement, and an inconsistent tone in visual style, this is a terrible experience which is the polar opposite of the differences between how the human mind and spirit can create physical art vs. how soulless and disturbing AI art can be. There is information on the creation of this short by Frost written here. See for yourself as it has been embedded below. in 1080i60 AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles "The Making Of" 2007 documentary (39:16) This vintage documentary has interviews with the cast and crew discussing the production. Bompoint and Gondry talk about their working relationship over the years, how Gondry's dreams inspired many key sequences, creating the characters, the actors and their interpretations, shooting many special effects scenes months before principal photography, behind the scenes footage, the use of practical in camera effects, and more. There are some odd audio dropouts in two or three moments in the documentary. in 480i MPEG-2, in windowboxed 1.78:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles "If You Rescue Me… La Chanson des Chats" 2007 featurette (3:42) This odd short has Linda Serbu discussing cat adoption and rescue, which is then intercut with a song performed by the advertising agency characters from the film dressed in cat costumes. in 480i MPEG-2, in 1.33:1 / windowboxed 1.78:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles "Pull the Lever - Tire la chevillette" 2007 featurette (9:16) This featurette looks at Gondry's friend and magician Alain de Moyencourt who has a scene in which he shows his slight of hand techniques in the film. He discusses about being a magician and shows some of his tricks in his home. in 480i MPEG-2, in 1.78:1, in French Dolby Digital 2.0 with burned-in English subtitles "Dream Creatures - Créatures de rêve" 2007 featurette (11:14) This featurette looks as the creations by designer Lauri Faggioni who made some of the memorable animals come to life in the film. She discusses her working methods and collaboration with Michel on the film. in 480i MPEG-2, in 1.33:1 / windowboxed 1.78:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles "Allo ?" 2007 featurette (7:18) This featurette has a split screen conversation with Gondry and Chabat over the phone. in 480i MPEG-2, in windowboxed 1.78:1, in French Dolby Digital 2.0 with burned-in English subtitles "Little Creepy Gifts - Petits cadeaux flippants" 2007 featurette (9:00) Presented here is Gondry explaining the concept of PCF - petits cadeaux flippants or little creepy gifts to give. He explains using notebooks and drawings as well as memories from his youth on the subject. in 480i MPEG-2, in 1.78:1, in French Dolby Digital 2.0 with burned-in English subtitles "Bompoint vs Gondry" 2007 featurette (10:04) This playful back and forth between Bompoint and Gondry throwing insults at each other is then coupled with a black and white reenactment of their relationship played by kids. in 480i MPEG-2, in windowboxed 1.78:1, in French Dolby Digital 2.0 with burned-in English subtitles "ClayMan Making of Art" 2025 featurette (1:03) This featurette looks at the handcrafted models for the creation of this Blu-ray release’s slipcase and slipcover, from artist ClayMan in this all too short featurette with no narration. in 1080i60 AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1, Music LPCM 2.0 without subtitles 2 Trailers (4:11) Two original trailers are presented. First is the US trailer by Warner Bros. which is entirely in English and showcases the imaginative quality of the film and the visual effects. The second trailer is the French trailer by Gaumont. For this trailer it is bilingual, with the English dialogue having burned-in French subtitles and the French dialogue having burned-in English subtitles. The audio levels are inconsistent here, with the US trailer being mixed at a normal volume while the French trailer sounds very quiet. Both have been embedded below. in 480i MPEG-2, in windowboxed 1.75:1, in English/French Dolby Digital 2.0 with burned-in English/French subtitles As stated, the film was released on DVD in varying editions around the world, with some differing extras. The French DVD was the only one to have "Version B". On Blu-ray, there is the French release as well as a South Korean release (which we do not have specs for). There are some extras like the Gondry commentary on "Version B" and the "Les Méandres d'un Cerveau" featurette that are exclusive to the French release, but the Australian release has its own exclusive extras as well as including some extras from the DVD releases that were not on the French release. Michel Gondry music videos with references found in "The Science of Sleep" "Les Cailloux" by Oui Oui "Lucas with the Lid Off" by Lucas "Bachelorette" by björk "Knives Out" by Radiohead "Let Forever Be" by The Chemical Brothers "Everlong" by Foo Fighters
Packaging
The disc is packaged in a clear keep case with a reversible inlay. The artwork on both sides is identical, except the opposite side lacks the Australian M rating logos. The packaging mistakenly states region B only, as the disc is region ALL. There is also a limited edition slipcover exclusively at the Umbrella Webshop, with newly commissioned artwork by Mateo Montoya AKA ClayMan. There is also a Collector’s Edition exclusively at the Umbrella Webshop, limited to 1000 copies, which also includes the slipcover, a rigid slipcase, a 48 page booklet, a “Disasterology” calendar for 2026, and a poster. The booklet starts with “Sweet Dreams: The Narcoleptic Surrealism of The Science of Sleep” by David Michael Brown. The next essay is “Romance and the Creative Process in Michel Gondry’s The Science of Sleep” by Tara Judah. Finally there is “Methods of Dreaming: The Utopian Tourette’s of Michel Gondry” by Ray Pride. All three essays are excellent reads, looking at the film and its director in detail. In addition there are stills, promotional artwork and booklet credits included. The “Disasterology” calendar is a miniature version of Stéphane’s calendar idea, and is for the year 2026, the 20th anniversary of the film. The poster is double sided, with one side having vintage artwork that is identical to the one used for the keep case inlay, and the other side having the newly created artwork used for the slipcover. The poster is folded and held in the keep case with the slipcover, and it along with the booklet and calendar slide into the rigid slipcase. The slipcase has a design similar to what the character of Stéphane would make with a cardboard cutout of a television set, though the material used here is much harder. There is a hold in the middle of the front to mimic a television set. Sliding the slipcover inside will show the middle of the artwork on the “screen” for a creative design. It works with both the front or the back of the slipcover. This is one of the most wonderfully creative of Umbrella’s collector’s editions, and rightfully so. 
Overall
"The Science of Sleep" is a fun DIY unconventional romantic comedy with handmade visuals that are delightful, with great quirky performances. Gondry is a master director working in his own form and nearly twenty years later it still holds up strong. Umbrella's release has a transfer from a dated master, and while the extras are plentiful, they are not all as great as they could be. Some of the vintage extras are on the weirder side rather than informative, the new commentary is quite a bore, and the new featurette is plain awful with its AI created visuals. Umbrella still did a great job with the package, especially for the collector's edition. It still comes as recommended. Standard Edition (and slipcover edition) - Umbrella Webshop link Collector's Edition - Umbrella Webshop link
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