L'Écume des jours

I have heard people say that the movie started to annoy them after ten minutes. I was much worse off because I started feeling the same way after only three minutes. If I had to describe Gondry's film with adjectives, they would be "incredibly annoying" and "irritating." My wife pointed out that unbearable hyperactivity is exactly what characterizes the film. I lasted half an hour and then gave up because I realized that this time, Gondry and I really never saw eye to eye. Narratively, the film is a failure on all counts, and Gondry's world, which enchants others, remains closed to me on several levels. This style would be great for directing music videos, and after all, Gondry has already made quite a few of them. But I consider watching a 130-minute music video as a horrible and terrifying ordeal. Overall impression: 25% for the visual aspects and wild ideas. (10/07/2016)

I can't say that I don't like it. I can't even say that I'm offended by it. I just wish it didn't exist. (29/08/2014)

Pour moi, le livre L'Écume des jours est l'une des plus belles et des plus originales histoires d'amour. En grandissant, j'ai dévoré tous les livres de Vian, que ce soit ceux publiés sous son vrai nom ou la série des quatre écrits chocs sortis sous le pseudonyme de Vernon Sullivan. J’avais l’impression que L’Écume des jours était infilmable. Eh bien, j’avais tort ! Et l’effort de Michel Gondry est appréciable, même si je n’ai pas vraiment adhéré. Je trouve que la version cinéma ne devrait pas dépasser les quatre-vingts minutes ; l’orgie visuelle de deux heures est très fatigante, étire inutilement l’intrigue et gâche l’impression générale. Romain Duris colle parfaitement au rôle de Colin et Audrey Tautou est tout aussi crédible dans le personnage de Chloé. Le problème, c’est que ce roman est tellement culte qu’il représente un trop gros morceau, même pour un réalisateur de renom. Pourquoi ne pas filmer Et on tuera tous les affreux de cette façon ? Ce serait nettement plus facile ! (09/09/2013)

As much as my Friday night and, by extension, Saturday morning view of the world around me can say I could have gotten used to it by now, my problem is that I still can't seem to take a stance on surrealism and don't really know how to view it at all. As a parable, a metaphor, an association, a bunch of unrelated ideas unanchored by any rules? Mood Indigo mainly gives the impression that it takes all of these approaches to that artistic movement, and not all at once, but doses them gradually. In particular, the ruthlessness of the last act, where Gondry attempts to make the viewer his emotionally exhausted bitch, pays off because the previous relationship between the two protagonists is built on the universal appeal of Audrey Tatou, who fails pretty hard in the role of the lovable rogue. Either film the surreal or film the plot, sorry. (05/11/2013)

I dare say that Mood Indigo is a film that managed to combine a refined form with impressive content in an incredible way. I can't imagine that anyone could have translated Boris Vian's cult novel to the screen better than Michel Gondry. He certainly unleashed his imagination to the fullest, but at the same time, surprisingly, he stayed quite faithful to the book. He managed to preserve its unique poetry, which is significantly enhanced in the film by the beautiful music. The cast may not be to everyone's taste, but I was personally very satisfied. Plus, I'm pretty sure that a repeat trip into the surreal world of Colin and Chloé will allow me to empathize even more with the recesses of their romantic souls. (25/12/2020)