Movie · 2006 · Comedy, Drama, Fantasy · 1h 46m · R · French
Curator score: 6.1/10 (124.5K ratings)
Close your eyes. Open your heart.
Overview
A man entranced by his dreams and imagination is lovestruck with a French woman and feels he can show her his world.
Ratings
Curator score: 6.1/10
IMDb: 7.2/10
Letterboxd: 3.69/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 71%
Metacritic: 70
TMDB: 7.0/10
Director
Michel Gondry
Production
Partizan Films, Gaumont, France 3 Cinéma, Mikado Film
Cast
Gael García Bernal, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Miou-Miou, Alain Chabat, Emma de Caunes, Aurélia Petit, Sacha Bourdo, Pierre Vaneck, Stéphane Metzger, Alain de Moyencourt, Inigo Lezzi, Yvette Petit, Jean-Michel Bernard, Bertrand Delpierre, Eric Mariotto
Curator Review
Verdict
A whimsical, handmade fantasy about loneliness, desire, and the chaos of trying to make real life match an inner world. It’s messy and intentionally awkward, but the visual invention and emotional honesty make it memorable for viewers who like surreal romance with a bruised edge.
Best for
fans of surreal romantic comedies
viewers who enjoy tactile, DIY visual invention
people drawn to dream logic and intrusive-thought humor
audiences who like flawed, emotionally awkward protagonists
Skip if
you need a clean, conventional love story
you dislike self-absorbed or frustrating leads
you want tightly plotted realism
you’re put off by cringe comedy and emotional discomfort
Overview
Michel Gondry turns a simple crush into a fever dream of cardboard machines, stop-motion detours, and emotional static. The film’s handmade look is part of the point: it feels like watching someone’s private imagination spill into the room, charming and embarrassing in equal measure.
Worth noting
What makes it linger is that the fantasy is never just cute. The lead’s longing curdles into neediness, self-delusion, and boundary-crossing, which gives the movie a sharper edge than its playful surface suggests. That tension is exactly why some viewers find it deeply relatable and others find it exhausting.
Bottom line
If you respond to surreal romance, inventive production design, and stories that treat inner life as a physical place, this is a strong watch. If you need your protagonists to be likable or your relationships to behave sensibly, it’s probably a skip.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Sylv (4★) · 1679 likes
Just Because She Likes The Same Bizzaro Crap You Do Doesn't Mean She's Your Soulmate: The Movie
Rembrandt Q Pumpernickel (5★) · 848 likes
If you've been reading my reviews, you know that sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, etc come up pretty frequently. You may also know that I am a cishet white man. As the definition of privileged, the person who all these structural inequities cater to, you may wonder why would I want to erode my own privilege in favor of equality? It's the right thing to do, of course, but that's not the only reason. I genuinely believe that my privilege harms… more If you've been reading my reviews, you know that sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, etc come up pretty frequently. You may also know that I am a cishet white man. As the definition of privileged, the person who all these structural inequities cater to, you may wonder why would I want to erode my own privilege in favor of equality? It's the right thing to do, of course, but that's not the only reason. I genuinely believe that my privilege harms… more
RupertKnoll (4★) · 743 likes
that man has mental issues
A Circus Rat (4★) · 508 likes
me and the bad bitch i (failed) to pull by listening to tally hall, playing littlebigplanet and being schizophrenic
Cate Mandelski · 424 likes
Women will smile at a man and the next thing you know he’s breaking into your apartment to mutilate your horse plushie