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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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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More Than 30 Minutes Cut from Michel Gondry's 'Mood Indigo'

As if it's somehow a brand new issue, the editing down of foreign films has become a hot button topic for cinephiles of late. Harvey Weinstein took some flack for trimming 20 minutes off Wong Kar-Wai's The Grandmaster, and fans got riled up at the mere hint that he'd do the same to Bong Joon-Ho's Snowpiercer. And now another major international release is going under the ax, but you can't blame ol' Harvey Scissorhands for this one.

While Michel Gondry's dreamy adaptation Mood Indigo has already played at a couple of film festivals in its unedited form, Dark Horizons received notice from Australian distributor Vendetta Films that the cut released outside of France will be 36 minutes shorter. Early reviews on the film were mixed, with many noting that the over 2 hour run time was a definite issue, so maybe this is an attempt to improve it before hitting other territories. It's not clear whether this was a decision by producers or Gondry himself, but the memo does say the cut amounts to "a looser adaptation" of Boris Vian's novel and a "very different film experience".

Mood Indigo stars Romain Duris, the lovely Audrey Tautou, and Omar Sy in the story of a rich man who falls for and marries the love of his life, only to have her become ill from a water lily in the lungs. As her condition deteriorates, he spends his vast fortune keeping her surrounded by fresh flowers to treat the illness, but their relationship begins to sour nonetheless. It looks like a return to surrealist form for Gondry, at least judging by the trailers, so it won't be surprising if there are some who are up in arms over this. Of course it may not matter here in the States as the film has yet to gain distribution. Whether it ever hits our shores, hopefully we can get the complete version of it on Blu-Ray at some point.

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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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Charlotte Le Bon replaces Lea Seydoux in Michel Gondry's 'The Foam of Days'

As French actress Lea Seydoux's popularity has begun to spread to other parts of the world, in particular Hollywood after appearing in both Midnight in Paris and the latest Mission: Impossible, it's inevitable that some of of the projects she's been attached to would have to be dropped due to a crush on time. Unfortunately, the one film that is probably the most interesting of them all is the first that has to go.

In January we learned she was attached to star in the next film from colorful visual director, Michel Gondry(Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). Titled The Foam of Days, it's based on Boris Vian's 1947 novel and follows a wealthy inventor whose new wife suddenly falls ill due to a water lily in her lungs. The only way to treat her is to always have her surrounded by flowers, an expense with quickly drains his bank account.  With Seydoux out, she's been replaced by relative unknown Charlotte Le Bon(Astérix et Obélix: On Her Majesty's Secret Service). She'll join Audrey Tatou, Romain Duris, Gad Elmaleh and Omar Sy, with more casting to be announced shortly. Filming will begin next month on the 16th.

As for Seydoux, she's got plenty to look forward to, including a modern take on Beauty and the Beast, starring Vincent Cassel and directed by Christophe Gans. Plus she'll take on the lesbian romance, Blue is a Hot Color, based on Julie Maroh's graphic novel. [Allocine]

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Michel Gondry adds Lea Seydoux and Gad Elmaleh to 'The Foam of Days' cast

Those who have been sorely disappointed by Michel Gondry's recent body of work (The Green Hornet) should take hope. The filmmaker has a pair of projects that should allow him to flex his creative muscles, the way he did with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep. He's currently at work on The We & The I, a film inspired by his book: You'll Like This Film Because You're In It, which was based in part on Gondry's Be Kind Rewind. And while that community filmmaking project sounds great, it's what he has afterwards which has my attention.

Last summer we learned of his plans to direct The Foam of Days, an adaptation of Boris Vian's 1947 French novel, Froth on the Daydream.  Audrey Tatou(Amelie) and Romain Duris(The Beat That My Heart Skipped), two of France's biggest stars, joined the project and now Gondry has added two more international stars who have recently been waking waves here in the States.


Lea Seyoux and Gad Elmaleh are the latest to join the rather unique sounding French-language film. The story centers on Colin, a wealthy man who meets and quickly marries Chloe. During their honeymoon, Chloe becomes ill from a water lilly in her lungs, a rare and painful condition that can only be cured by having her constantly surrounded by flowers, the expense of which drains his fortune.

Seydoux recently appeared in two critically acclaimed films, turning up in Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris and as a villain in Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol. Elmaleh also had a small role in Allen's film, and provided one of the voices in Steven Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin. Um, he'd probably like for us all to forget he turned up in Adam Sandler's Jack & Jill, but unfortunately I can't. Sorry, dude.

We probably won't see this until later in 2013, but it's Gondry, and so we have to expect it'll be colorful and visually arresting. Another one to keep a close eye on. [Variety]

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