Stéphane Miroux (Gael García Bernal) is a shy young man whose vivid dreams often interfere with his waking life. After the death of his divorced father in Mexico, Stéphane moves to Paris to live closer to his mother Christine. He moves into his childhood home and starts a new job his mother has found for him in a calendar printing company.
Stéphane had been told it was a creative job and shows his new colleagues his drawings, a collection of twelve illustrations depicting unique disasters. He calls his collection “disasterology”. But nobody at his new job appreciates his talents – the job is no more than typesetting work, leaving him frustrated, as revealed in his dreams.
While leaving his apartment to go to work one day, the new neighbor Stéphanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg) invites him into her apartment; he soon realizes that she is creative and artistic. They plan a project together, a short animated film based around a boat Stéphanie was making.
As the story begins to unfold, surrealistic and naturalistic elements begin to overlap within Stéphane’s reality, and the viewer is often uncertain of which portions constitute reality and which are dreams. One dream sequence, in which Stéphane dreams his hands become absurdly giant, was inspired by a recurring nightmare director Michel Gondry had as a child.
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As the line between dream and reality gradually becomes more blurred, Stéphane becomes enamored with Stéphanie, and he shares his inventions with her, such as the ‘one-second time machine’. Stéphane’s dreams begin to encroach on his waking life, making him unsure of reality and whether Stéphanie’s feelings for him are real.
Stéphane’s mother insists that he says a formal goodbye to his next-door neighbor, Stéphanie. In his attempt to do so, he becomes crass, making offensive jokes. As his antagonistic behavior pushes her, Stéphanie asks Stéphane to leave but he climbs into her bed, noticing two items on her bedside: his one-second time machine, and the finished boat they planned to use in their animated film.
Experience the enchanting world of dreams and reality in “The Science of Sleep” for free! Immerse yourself in Stéphane and Stéphanie’s emotional journey as they navigate love, art, and the blurred lines between dreams and reality. Watch now and let your imagination soar!