Review: Michel Gondry's 'Mood Indigo' Starring Romain Duris, Audrey Tautou, and Omar Sy

The cinematic verve and visual artistry of Michel Gondry has made him a favorite of both cinephiles and casual filmgoers, and it's a reputation earned largely through one film, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The love story at the center of it saw the benefit of Charlie Kaufman's gifted words, building a sturdy foundation from which Gondry's flourishes could stand up. But like Gondry's beautiful but frustrating films that have followed (lookin' at you, The Science of Sleep!), Mood Indigo luxuriates in surreal landscapes but forgets to tell a compelling story.

What passes for a plot is little more than an endless stream of oddities constructed by the wealthy Colin (Romain Duris), an independently wealthy man-child whose home resembles Pee-Wee's Playhouse on steroids. Seriously, this place is a crazy concoction of strange inventions like the pianococktail (it does exactly what you think), and weirder inhabitants like Colin's pet mouse which is really just a dude in a mouse suit. Oh, and his alarm clock literally races around the house every time it goes off. He lives in the home with his lawyer buddy Nicholas (Omar Sy), who specializes in a rubber-legged form of dance that involves literal rubber legs. So yeah, it's a little out there, even for a Gondry film.

And maybe that's the problem in a nutshell. Gondry has become so wistful he no longer has any restraint; there is no method to his madness. So when Colin meets and falls in love with the beautiful and fanciful Chloe (Audrey Tautou), their whirlwind courtship consists of riding in cars made of clouds and other imaginative excursions but little in the way of real bonding. Duris and Tautou have played lovers before, notably in the Spanish Apartment trilogy, and have a goofy, playful chemistry that is easy to fall for. Their scenes together are infectious and enjoyable, with Gondry creating what often amounts to a sweet, confectionery music video of their budding relationship. Before long, Chloe and Colin are married but their wedded bliss is ruined when a water lily begins to grow in her lungs. If she is to survive he must constantly surround her with freshly grown flowers. The financial wear drains Colin's bank account, forcing him to work at increasingly awful jobs to make ends meet.

As things turn for the worse, Gondry slowly darkens his vibrant color palette to a depressing gloom. Colin's world becomes one of shadows and cobwebs, but it's still Gondry playing around with effects so it never feels real. Choosing to show human sadness through camera tricks rather than genuine emotions leaves the film muddled and impossible to relate to. Gondry's movies will never be dull, but Mood Indigo is a beautiful and soulless disappointment from such a talented filmmaker.

 Rating: 2.5 out of 5

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Review: 'Chinese Puzzle' Starring Romain Duris, Audrey Tautou, Kelly Reilly, and Cecile de France

If there's a Spanish equivalent to the films of Richard Linklater they would be Cedric Klapisch's 'Spanish Apartment' series- 2002's L'Auberge Espagnole and 2005's Russian Dolls. Equal parts charming and infuriatingly madcap, they nonetheless are impossible to resist because, darnit they are just so darn cute, earnest, and Euro in their explorations of hipster romance and professional aimlessness. Thankfully, Klapisch doesn't screw with the formula in the breezy and jazzy Chinese Puzzle, a fitting good-bye to the characters whose lives we've been following for years.

Or perhaps it's not so much a good-bye as a "see you later"? Like Linklater's Before Sunrise trilogy, there's an enduring quality to the romantic entanglements of professional adolescent Xavier (Roman Duris), who has settled into his novelist career. His love life has only gotten more complicated as he approaches midlife crisis age, and Xavier continues to excel at making things worse despite well-meaning intentions. In an effort to stay a part of his kids' lives he up and moves from Paris to New York after his wife (the returning Kelly Reilly) relocates. Culture shock abounds but Xavier gets plenty of help from a few familiar faces. Klapisch has wisely paired down the overly large cast of the prior movies to focus on a small group of favorites, and one of those coming back is Xavier's lesbian best friend, Isabelle (Cecile de France). She's shacked up with a beautiful American (the gorgeous Sandrine Holt) and they desperately want Xavier to help them have a child. Things only get more difficult when Xavier's former flame Martine (Audrey Tautou, last seen with Duris in Mood Indigo) arrives in town with her kids and old passions are rekindled, although neither cares to admit it.

Most of the humor is basic fish-out-of-water stuff as Xavier deals with the high cost of living in the big city, encounters with unfamiliar ethnicities, and women of course. The ladies in Xavier's life, of which there are many, pull him in many different directions but we also see how screwed he would be without any of them. They make him a better man, and it's a pleasure to see a film that doesn't marginalize the female characters in the least. Between Xavier's novel, imaginary conversations with long dead German philosophers, and an impromptu marriage for American citizenship, there's a lot to contend with and Klapisch sometimes gets lost in the subplots. But even if Chinese Puzzle is a little bit messy it's pretty much what these moves were always meant to be and why many will be hoping Xavier's misadventures in love aren't over yet.

 Chinese Puzzle is playing now in Washington, D.C. at the Angelika Pop-Up Theater at Union Market.

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Michel Gondry's 'Mood Indigo' Gets a U.S. Trailer

The films of Michel Gondry may be visually breathtaking but outside of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and maybe The Science of Sleep, his career has been a little disappointing. After The Green Hornet and The We & The I seemed to lack his usual flair, Gondry has finally gone back to the surreal and fantastical with Mood Indigo.

With a July 18th release date coming, the first trailer has been released for the romantic fantasty, itself an adaptation of Boris Vian's book, Froth On the Daydream. Romain Duris, Audrey Tautou, Omar Sy (X-men: Days of Future Past), Charlotte Le Bon, and Gad Elmaleh star in the film chronicling the romance between a wealthy inventor and woman he loves. When she falls ill due to a water lily in the lungs, the only way to keep her alive is by surrounding her body in fresh flowers.

I saw the film a few weeks ago and Gondry's direction is as vibrant as ever, although the story struggles to remain coherent. Expect a review soon.

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Tran Anh Hung to Direct Melanie Laurent, Audrey Tautou, and Berenice Bejo in 'Eternity'

While he may not be known name here in America, Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hung has been playing his trade on the world stage for years, most recently with 2010's acclaimed drama, Norwegian Wood. Rather than jumping over to Hollywood, the director is continuing his overseas appeal by snagging three of France's top actresses for his next film.

Melanie Laurent (Beginners), Berenice Bejo (The Past), and Audrey Tautou (Amelie) have come aboard Eternity, Anh Hung's French-language debut which he will adapt from Alice Ferney's novel, L’élégance des Veuves. The multi-generational tale set in the 19th and 20th century, revolves "around the theme of motherhood and three women who face up to tragedy and unhappiness with dignity. "

Sounds like great material and just the right combination of talent. Filming is to begin this summer, and hopefully this will appear on the festival circuit late this year or early next. [Screen Daily]

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New trailer for Michel Gondry's 'Mood Indigo'

If you've been following Michel Gondry's career long then it must be apparent he has one of the most distinct visual voices around. The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Be Kind Rewind director hasn't exactly shown those same flourishes of late, instead bringing us weak efforts like The Green Hornet and The We & the I. But he appears to have found his groove again with the whimsical and beautifully shot Mood Indigo.

A new trailer for the film has been released, and there's a ton of new footage to get swept up in. Based on the Boris Vian novel, the story follows Colin (Romain Duris), the rich inventor of an olfactory musical instrument. When he meets the girl of his dreams in Chloe (Audrey Tautou), they get married only for her to fall in due to a water lily in the lungs, with the only way to save her to surround her in fresh flowers constantly.

Toss Omar Sy's charming presence in and Mood Indigo looks like a real treat. It opens in France on April 24th, but it's yet to gain distribution over here. That needs to change, ASAP.


Mood Indigo (Trailer 2) by tvPRIME

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Beautiful, soulful first trailer for Michel Gondry's 'Mood Indigo'

Michel Gondry will probably always be remembered as the guy who delivered one of the best films of last decade, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but he's failed to match or even come close to that success ever since. The Science of Sleep is solid, and Be Kind Rewind is charming but forgettable, but stuff like The Green Hornet and The We & the I are downright terrible. That doesn't mean Gondry has suddenly lost his touch, and if the trailer for Mood Indigo is any indication, he may be back in top form.

Visually stunning and brimming with a sense of pure joy, Gondry's imaginative imagery powers the trailer to such a degree that you don't need to understand a word of French to get the message. Based on Boris Vian's 1947 book, the film stars Romain Duris, Audrey Tautou, Omar Sy, and Gad Elmalah in the story of a wealthy inventor who meets then marries the woman of his dreams. She unfortuantely falls ill due to a water lily in her lungs, and he proceeds to drain his finances keeping her alive surrounding her with fresh flowers.

From the jazzy opening score, the mood gets a bit more soulful when The Lumineers' 'Ho Hey' kicks in, but we don't really see the dark turn that the story must eventually take. Then again, they kept that stuff out of the 'Eternal Sunshine' trailers, and we saw how that turned out.  Mood Indigo opens on April 24th in France. Hopefully a stateside release will be announced soon.

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