Review: "Mood Indigo"

Mood Indigo

Saw Michel Gondry's latest film "Mood Indigo" last week. It's vintage Gondry. The movie revels in Gondry's whimsical cinema. It's charming, curiously absurd (my good friend Jo called his style "Absurdist Cinema") and, for all intents and purposes, simply surreal. It's a literal adaptation of Boris Vian's 1947 novel "Froth on the Daydream" and its American edition "Foam of the Daze" and it stars the charming tandem of Audrey Tautou ("Amelie") and Romain Duris ("The Beat that my Heart Skipped"). It also stars the handsome Omar Sy.

The film is a romantic-comedy that brims with infectious joy. The novel literally comes to life in so many wonderfully staged scenes. I particularly liked the extended scenes when the two lovers were literally floating in a cloud as they tour the Paris in Gondry's mind. It's sweet and joyful but eventually turns dark.

I loved it, enjoyed it! The movie is not for everyone though. I caution casual moviegoers to prepare for the unexpected and just enjoy what the filmmaker has so painstakingly prepared for his audience. But avid movie buffs should not miss this artsy fare...

"Mood Indigo" opens today in Los Angeles and New York. It should expand soon.

Rating: 4 Stars

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Raymond Lo