Mood Indigo (2013)

After reading other reviews, I approached this movie with the expectation of disappointment. This is the perfect way to approach a movie you were eager to see. It also helps that I didn't get around to seeing it for some time. It turns out, the criticisms are all valid, so the deciding factor regarding your level of enjoyment of this movie is a matter of taste. I too get annoyed by trying-hard-to-be-quirky movies (ex: Diablo Cody), which are so self-consciously clever; this movie was so unaware of itself, that it never felt like it was contrived. I am sure many will agree that you can be very entertained by a movie (purposely using "movie" here and not "film"), while knowing it is not a masterpiece of cinema. For those who like whimsical fare, this is pure eye candy. Yes, the story is thin and the characters not deeply developed, but it's the whimsical equivalent of an action flick; those who like action go for a string of action sequences, which leave some of us bored to tears. This movie is a string to whimsical (how many times can I use that word in my review?), visual metaphors that are not profound, but amusing and cute. I suppose people think visual metaphors and surreal devices must always be profound, but here it is simply fun and entertaining. That is so unusual to me, that it is refreshing. I can watch a fluffy, light movie and not think too much and be delighted on the same level that others are when they watch some superhero action flick or gross out comedy. I wish more movies like this existed, not because it is so genius, but because it's pure entertainment without the typical vulgarity that goes along with pure entertainment. Not to say the visual metaphors are not very clever or executed very well - they are. It hits you on the gut level, so that you digest them readily, if it is in fact, the kind of imagery which you gravitate towards. An obvious example from the previews is the cloud-mobile the couple floats around in while on their first date - taking the feeling of first-date infatuation and presenting it in its literal form. They are in a cloud - literally! The whole movie is a string of this, and I guess you get it or you don't, or it amuses you or it does not. And when I say you get it, I don't mean you have to be deep or brilliant to get it.....it is very childlike, after all. It will not change your life, but it may delight you. I was not bored at all (saw the cinema cut), but other comments that you do not personally care about the characters and their outcome is true; I was entertained, but not deeply engaged. I give it an 8 because doing that with this kind of imagery is something special still.

This movie could very easily be called "Days of our Lives" considering the intense and very real story that tells. However, it manages to became a very special different kind of movie by the way it's played. I guess by now you can have an idea that this isn't one of those regular movies about "boy meets girl and falls in love and then there's life" that we are used to. It can get confusing and even a bit disturbing because of that, but in end that's what I found amazing. The very particular thing in this movie is the different way that colors, lights and movements were used to connect us with the story and set our emotions.At the beginning I hated it and really considered stop watching it. If it wasn't for my stubbornness to always watch the entire movie, knowing what I know now, I would have regretted! Yes, at the beginning it's confusing and weird. However when we reach the end we realize how the weirdness of the beginning helped setting the tone for the feelings that the story is supposed to bring. Mood Indigo could easily be a lifetime drama that would amaze simple audiences and not conqueror many more then the usual dramas, but the way on how it's played, like a children story (with a too much strong content to be played for kids!), kind of related to the more innocent me and made me feel the end with more intensity. I guess resuming it, this movie doesn't appear to be a regular life story but it is and I just loved the fact that was treated in a special way, making it's connection to a real story much bigger and in that way bringing more emotion. It's no spectacular movie but it's very interesting to watch. Also I think the title translation for English sort of lost a little bit of the message that the movie it's trying to pass.

"This feeling of solitude is unfair. I demand to fall in love too!"No one does surrealism better than the French, but unfortunately I'm not into surrealism and I usually have a hard time enjoying this genre in general. Mood Indigo is probably more surreal than any other film you've seen before, and despite the fantastic visuals and rich imagery used I had a hard time engaging with the characters and its lack of a strong narrative story. I was a huge fan of director, Michel Gondry's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and despite the surrealism in that film I enjoyed the strong narrative along with the romance, but I guess a lot of that had to do with Charlie Kaufman's involvement in the writing of the script. Mood Indigo kind of feels like that short scene where Jim Carrey's character was sharing his memory from his childhood as a small scaled adult, with the exception that in Mood Indigo the entire film is like that. There are many surreal elements, like a rat sized man dressed in a rat costume running around the house, a door bell that takes a life of its own every time someone rings the bell, and there's a piano that makes cocktail drinks depending on the notes you play, among many other things (and did I mention how people's legs stretch like rubber every time they started dancing?). Mood Indigo is a great title, although I like the sound of the original French title, L'écume des jours, but the English title fits the film well because moods are a predominant element here. It is a unique film, but one that I had a hard time connecting with and got little enjoyment out of it.Despite not having a strong narrative, I enjoyed the performances in this film. Romain Duris plays Colin, a wealthy bachelor who falls in love with Audrey Tautou's character, Chloe. They quickly fall in love and everything around them seems to blossom. That is until Chloe develops a strange illness when a flower begins to grow in her lungs. Colin will spend his fortune and do what it takes in order to save her, but little by little the happiness and brightness of his home begins to lose its intensity. Other strong performances came from Omar Sy who played Colin's overly enthusiast chef and who prepares some strange dishes with the help of a TV cook, and then there is also Colin's best friend, Chick, played by Gad Elmaleh who is in a relationship as well and is always hanging out at his home. They all give strong performances and help set the surreal tone of the film with their energetic deliveries. It was great to see Omar Sy again because I really enjoyed his performance in The Intouchables. He was probably my favorite character in this film.Ultimately the film wore me out and I had a hard time sticking with the entire story because I wished it had a stronger narrative story. I never really cared for the characters here because Gondry was more focused on the images and the fantastical elements rather than on telling a story. This is as close as you get to watching a live action cartoon so if that is what the audience is looking for they will be pleased, but it just wasn't a film for me.

The basic story seems simple enough. Boy lives a charmed magical life with his outlandish inventions. Boy meets the girl of his dreams and marries her right away. Girl falls ill with a mysterious ailment, and boy does everything in order to save her.In the hands of noted French director Michel Gondry however, this tale is taken to surreal directions, fantastic and absurd. It was obviously going to be an art film from the get-go with the out-of-this-world imagery that gets weirder and weirder as the mood of the film turns from happy to somber. There were disturbing images of blood and gore, which felt misplaced in this film whose general mood was romance.Audrey Tautou is of course a familiar name, playing the ill-fated Chloe. This role is somewhat reminiscent of her past roles. Romain Duris plays Colin rather unevenly, as you cannot really read his true personality of his character. Omar Sy, who was recently seen in "X-Men: Days of Future Past" plays Colin's faithful friend with the flair for preparing fancy food, and dancing with his rubbery legs to jazz music.This will not be an easy watch for mainstream movie audiences. This is strictly for the art-house crowd. I read that this was based on a beloved French book and fans of the book liked how this film brought their favorite story to life. However, for those unfamiliar with the book, the two hours plus running time will be unbearably slow.