I just reviewed Michael Gondry's “Mood Indigo,” but I'll add that a week or so after seeing it, there are images from the movie that randomly pop into my head each day. While narrative and logic may not be Gondry's primary interests when he's making a movie, images are, and there's no faulting him for the way he's created these visual ideas that make “Mood Indigo” feel like something I dreamed, not something I actually saw.
The film begins to expand to more screens this weekend, and Drafthouse Films decided to celebrate by sending us an exclusive clip that I think does a wonderful job of laying out how sublimely silly Gondry's world is for this film.
With clips from giant summer movies or most studio fare, you probably already know whether or not you want to see something. Sure, it's nice to get a peek at something if you're excited about it, but a clip like this might actually help you get a sense of whether or not you're up for the truly loony ride that Gondry's fashioned from the novel by Boris Vian.
Colin (Romain Duris) and Chloe (Audrey Tautou) are perfect for one another because they both see the world through the same filter. They are childlike in the way they both work to preserve a sense of wonder and whimsy. I feel like “Mood Indigo” is ultimately the story of how hard it is to keep that kind of worldview alive when you're grappling with sorrow and loss and some of the harder truths that this world has to offer. In the early days of falling in love, it's easy to feel like the whole world is dancing around you, like you can do anything. But when you're watching your lover waste away, when you know that each day could be the last one you have, it can leech all the color and all the music and all the joy from things.
I hope Gondry never makes the mistake of working inside the studio system again. His voice is too delicate and too distinctly his. Lots of people could have directed a “Green Hornet” movie. Only Gondry could have made “Mood Indigo.”
“Mood Indigo” expands to more theaters nationwide this weekend.