News

The world premiere of Movistar Plus+’s period comedy drama The Short Life (La Vida Breve) will headline the second edition of South International Series Festival, which takes place in Cádiz in southern Spain from October 25-30. It will showcase 47 series, including 12 world premieres and 15 Spanish premieres.

Created by Cristóbal Garrido and Adolfo Valor, and starring Leonor Watling and Javier Gutiérrez, The Short Life is set during the brief reign of Spain’s King Louis I. It is the only world premiere in competition.

Two competitions, fiction and non-fiction, have been created this year. BetaSeries CEO Rémi Tereszkiewicz heads the...

French 2D animation specialist Disnosc will bring Miles Davis, Chet Baker and Fats Waller to a headset near you.

A family venture founded by Fabrice and Nathan Otaño – a father-son duo with respective experience in corporate analytics and high-end animation, with credits on films like “The Summit of the Gods” and “Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia” – the Biarritz-based studio launched in 2020 to bring pet-project “Blue Figures” to the small screen.

Co-directed by David Calvert and developed in-house, the hand-drawn anthology series follows a Parisian record store, staffed by jazz aficionados, that opens a wider window onto the world. Episodes will focus on individuals such as Davis, Baker and Waller, as well as pianist Mary Lou Williams and French author-scenester Boris Vian.

“Jazz isn’t just about music,” says producer Fabrice Otaño, evoking Miles Davis’ infamous police assault outside of New York’s Birdland. “It’s also about political and social struggle.

Jean-Louis Trintignant, the thoughtful French actor who headlined such art house classics as A Man and a Woman, My Night at Maud’s, The Conformist, Three Colors: Red and Amour, has died. He was 91.

Trintignant died Friday at his home in the Gard region of southern France, his wife, Marianne, and agent told the Agence France-Presse.

Trintignant received a number of accolades throughout his 60-plus-year career, including the best actor prize from Cannes in 1969 for Costa-Gavras’ political thriller Z and a Cesar Award in 2013 for Michael Haneke’s Amour, which also won the Oscar for best foreign-language film.

With more than 130 screen and 50-plus stage credits to his name, Trintignant was a highly prolific and respected talent who could perform anything from Shakespeare to commercial French comedies, from art house favorites by Bertolucci, Kieślowski and Truffaut to popular romances and sci-fi flicks — as...

Chances are, if you’re familiar with grindhouse/exploitation films of the 1970s or the output of later auteurs these titles influenced, you’ve heard and likely experienced the 1978 provocation I Spit on Your Grave (aka Day of the Woman). Although it shares the English language title of Boris Vian’s earlier I Spit on Your Grave(s), a steamy pulp thriller published in 1946 about a Black man who can pass for white and decides to take vengeance for his brother’s lynching by seducing as many white women as he can in the sweltering heat of the racist American South, Meir Zarchi’s sensational debut became part of the zeitgeist, absorbing all the references—and mostly for the extremely negative press it received.…...

Yes, that’s a six and a zero. It’s not a typo. While excessive might be the first adjective that comes to mind when looking at a year-end list with 60 films, it was the only way that I was able to highlight all the great works that I was able to watch this year. Even with such an extensive best-of countdown I was forced to leave at least another dozen great films. In 2014 I watched around 300 theatrically released films, and about 130 more between unreleased films from the festival circuit, the Oscar Foreign Language Submissions, and new films I watched as a screener for a couple festivals. Taking all these into consideration, a Top 60 list did not seem like an outrageous feat.

There were many other films that I did in fact watch but didn’t make the list, such as “Wild,” “Interstellar,” “The Imitation Game,” “Unbroken,” “The Theory of Everything,” “Big Hero 6,” “Big Eyes,” "A Most Violent Year" and “Into the Woods.” Although none of these ended up among my favorites, many of them served as vehicles for the cast to deliver outstanding performances or showcased great cinematography and VFX. I mention this to clarify that their omission was a conscious decision.

Evidently, there were several acclaimed films I did not manage to watch, which could have made a difference. These include films like "Love is Strange," “Maps to the Stars,” “Stray Dogs,” “Top Five,” and “Rosewater.”

The films on this list include films that had a regular release in 2014, films that some consider to be 2013 films but which got a full release in 2014, and films that had a one-week qualifying run in 2014 but which will officially open in 2015. Other amazing films that I saw at festivals, but which did not have a theatrical release of any form this year will be included in next year’s list. Examples of these include “The Tribe,” “Timbuktu,” “The Voices” “Gueros,” “Viktoria,” and “Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter.”

Like with all lists, this is a very personal selection of films that connected with me on different levels. Some choices might be strange, others expected, but all of them speak to what I find interesting or great about cinema. I hope that with this list you can find titles you haven’t hear of or others you might have forgotten about. It has been such a terrific year for films. Here is hoping for 2015 to be even more inspiring.

Feel free to share with us what your favorite films of 2014 were in the comments section.

Honorary Mention for Favorite TV Series: "Over the Garden Wall"

In Patrick McHale’s enchanting Cartoon Network miniseries, “Over the Garden Wall,” brothers Wirt (Elijah Wood) and adorable Greg (Collin Dean) travel through the Unknown, a magical forest filled with peculiar characters. Blending a classic fable look with witty humor and catchy songs for a fantastically refreshing 2D cartoon, the show is rapidly - and deservingly - becoming a fan favorite. Once you see little Greg performing the sweet tune Potatoes and Molasses, it will all make sense.

Top 60 Films Of 2014

60. "Happy Christmas"

Anna Kendrick is an irresponsible, yet charming, young woman in Joe Swanberg’s holiday-infused family dramedy. “Happy Christmas” is small in scope but big in subtle amusement. Baby Jude Swanberg steals every scene.

59."Mood Indigo"

Whimsical, ingenious, and uniquely confected, Michel Gondry’s adaption of Boris Vian’s novel stars Audrey Tautou and Romain Duris. His latest romantic fantasy is heartwarming visual candy.

Review "Mood Indigo"

Carlos Aguilar's interview with Tautou

58. "Lilting"

A cross-cultural connection in the aftermath of tragedy is at the center of Hong Khaou’s touching debut. Through great performances and ethereal cinematography the filmmaker reassures us love is the only language that matters.

Carlos Aguilar's interview with Hong Khaou

57. "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"

With an intelligent and fun screenplay, this new entry in the Marvel universe showed us that - despite all the badassery he is capable of - all that Steve Rogers wants is his best friend back.

Review "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"

56. "Oculus"

Mike Flanagan doesn’t resort to excessive gore or a monumental story to instill fear. Instead, he uses the effective mechanics of his story to turn a room with an old mirror, a camera, and a pair of youngsters into a terrifying space.

55. "Rich Hill"

Looking at a segment of the American population from a uniquely compassionate and insightful perspective, “Rich Hill” cherishes the humanity of its subject rather than patronizing them.

54. "The Notebook"

The brutality of war is observed through the eyes of a pair of twin brothers who decide to detach themselves from any emotional connection in order to survive. Unflinching and powerful, “The Notebook” is part dark fairytale and part historical drama.

Review "The Notebook"

Carlos Aguilar's interview with János Szász

53. "Blue Ruin"

This gritty and unpredictable thriller follows a man whose thirst for revenge becomes his death sentence. Macon Blair’s character goes from passively hiding in the shadows to becoming a ruthless rookie assassin. Tension is the name of the game here.

52. "The Book of Life"

The ancient Mexican celebration of Day of the Death comes to life in this vibrant and surprisingly authentic animated feature from Jorge Gutierrez and producer Guillermo del Toro. It’s a colorful and intricately designed vision of beloved tradition.

51. "The German Doctor" (Wakolda)

Lucia Puenzo’s captivating mystery focuses on infamous Nazi physician Josef Mengele, as he tries to test his disturbing practices on family while hiding in the Argentine countryside. Elegantly executed and definitely unsettling

Review "The German Doctor"

Carlos Aguilar's interview with Lucia Puenzo

Sydney Levine's Case Study on "The German Doctor"

50. "Still Alice"

Lost, confused, but still fighting to preserve her individuality while facing the imminent effects of Alzheimer’s disease, Alice refuses to give up. Julianne Moor is absolutely stunning and heartbreaking.

49. "American Sniper"

Eastwood’s best film in a long time packs thrilling combat sequences as it looks at post-9/11 American patriotism via a simple man turned murder weapon. Bradley Cooper delivers the best performance of his career.

48. "The Lego Movie "

Pop culture has never been as hilarious and witty as in this uniquely animated story about individuality, the nature of heroism, and the power of a child’s imagination. With cameos galore and jokes aplenty, everything is indeed awesome.

47. "Manuscripts Don't Burn "

Mohammad Rasoulof’s fearless cinematic statement denouncing the Iranian regime is an incredible testament to the power of film as a cultural weapon against injustice. Not only is the film politically relevant, but also an all-around gripping thriller.

Review "Manuscripts Don't Burn"

46. "Guardians of the Galaxy "

This summer Marvel outdid itself with the truly enjoyable first installment of its newest franchise. Charismatic Chris Pratt as Star Lord, a more than memorable soundtrack, and an eclectic group of sidekicks made this the smartest summer hit.

45. "In Bloom"

Set in Tbilisi, Georgia, this unique coming-of-age tale is a riveting hidden gem that sports mesmerizing performances from its young cast. The filmmakers find evocative, everyday beauty in the hardships of life in a war-torn country.

Review "In Bloom"

44. "Goodbye to Language"

Godard’s use of 3D in this highly experimental work produces a physical reaction on the viewer that proves how alive the auteur’s vision still is. He is as cryptic, curious, innovative, unapologetic, and brilliant as he was over 50 years ago.

43. "Mistaken for Strangers"

Tom Berninger’s personal documentary is not a film about The National, but about a man trying to find his own path while reconnecting with his older brother – who happens to be a rock star. Fun, heartfelt, and honest.

Carlos Aguilar's interview with Tom and Matt Berninger

42. "Manakamana"

Simple on the surface but hauntingly poetic, this documentary focuses on a series of people as they travel up to a sacred shrine in Nepal. Their faces speak in silences, laughter, and visible sadness, which form a language far more stirring than ephemeral words.

41. "Whiplash"

J.K. Simmons is a nightmarish instructor in Damien Chazelle’s fascinating debut about a young drummer by obsessive passion. The final sequence is an astonishing showstopper that sports marvelous, flawless editing

40. "The Overnighters"

What starts as the story about a Good Samaritan helping those in need despite criticisms, turns into an examination of a conflicted man. Faith, lies, regret and the judgmental eyes of an entire community will become his agonizing cross to bear.

39. "Rocks in My Pockets"

Latvian artist Signe Baumane uses 2D animation to work through her insecurities, her relationships with her estrange family, and depression. Craft and substance merge to construct an absorbing personal statement that is unexpectedly relatable.

Sydney Levine's Feature Piece on "Rocks in My Pockets"

38. "The Missing Picture"

To reconstruct his family’s past, and by extension that of his homeland under the Khmer Rouge, director Rithy Panh uses clay figurines and evocative narration in the absence of images from the time. One of the most original documentaries ever made.

Review "The Missing Picture"

37. "Snowpiercer"

Art house sensibilities imbedded into a powerful post-apocalyptic tale from South Korean director Bong Joon-ho gave us a superbly sophisticated actioner. Chris Evans delivers a different, but equally great heroic performance. However, Tilda Swinton takes the prize here.

36. "Life Itself"

Roger Ebert’s love for life and movies was endless. Despite major health issues near the end, his spirits and voice were never weakened. Steve James intimate documentary captures both the man and the critic in a lovely manner.

35. "Gone Girl"

Fincher’s latest focuses on a media circus fueled by a couple’s despicable lies and the public’s voyeuristic desire to find a villain and a victim. While Ben Affleck is good here, the film thrives on Rosamund Pike’s wickedly clever role.

34. "Two Days, One Night"

Only the Dardenne brothers can transform seemingly banal situations into compelling narratives that question the morality of their characters. In their latest masterful effort Marion Cotillard’s talent shines as she balances desperation, pride, and hope.

33. "Foxcatcher"

Driven by a trifecta of great performances, Bennett Miller’s drama shows a disturbed man in search of recognition and validation by any means necessary. Channing Tatum deserves more praise for his nuanced work here.

32. "Omar"

At once timeless and decisively current, Hany Abu-Asad’s Shakespearean crime drama deals with Israeli-Palestinian relations from a humanistic point of view. The political issues that serve as context become more urgent when seen through the characters’ struggles.

Review "Omar"

Carlos Aguilar's interview with Hany Abu-Assad

31. "Mr. Turner"

The awe-inspiring cinematography and Timothy Spall’s grumpy, yet endearing portrayal of one of Britain’s most revered painters make of “Mr. Turner” another successful addition to Mike Leigh’s near-perfect track record.

30. "Nymphomaniac"

Blasphemous, explicit, and cerebral as most of Lars von Trier’s works, this two-part recollection of the anecdotes takes us into the tortured mind of a sex addict. There is no sugarcoating or redemption to be found here, only a skillful provocateur who loves to revel in the playful bleakness of it all.

Review "Nymphomaniac Vol. 1"

Review "Nymphomaniac Vol. 2"

29. "Gloria"

A middle-aged woman takes control of her life in this excellent Chilean dramedy. The title character, played by the lovely Paulina Garcia, wants to find love once again and to live without restrains. As she dances the night away we are certain that, despite the hardships, she will.

Review "Gloria"

Sydney Levine's interview with Sebastian Lelio and Paulina Garcia

28. "The Babadook"

A vicious boogieman terrorizes a mother and her son in this Australian horror masterpiece. Like with the best films in the genre, is what you don’t see that’s the most disturbing. Dir. Jennifer Kent uses creepy guttural sounds, shadows, and a malevolent children’s book to psychologically inflict fear.

27. "Ernest & Celestine"

Delightfully crafted to look like a collection of gorgeous moving watercolors, this French animated feature based on Gabrielle Vincent’s books is a visual treat and reminds us of the innocent fables from yesteryear.

Carlos Aguilar's interview with Benjamin Renner

26. "Hide Your Smiling Faces"

Two brothers growing up in a small town are confronted with the notion of death and the complexities of the adult world in this remarkably done debut by Daniel Patrick Carbone. An absolute must-see that deserves a wider audience.

Review "Hide Your Smiling Faces"

25. "Stranger by the Lake"

In Alain Guiraudie’s beachside mystery, a murderous romance hides underneath warm weather and desire. This provocative, darkly comedic and splendidly acted slow-burner shows that danger is sometimes the most lethal aphrodisiac.

Carlos Aguilar's interview with Alain Guiraudie

24. "Heli"

Amat Escalante’s brave and brutally honest depiction of Mexico’s violent present is unquestionably a difficult cinematic experience. However, the filmmaker is capable of finding resilient hope in the midst of overwhelming despair.

Review "Heli"

Carlos Aguilar's interview with Amat Escalante

23. "CitizenFour"

Few embellishments are needed when you have such a shocking and important story told not from an outsider’s perspective, but from its source. Fiction falls short in comparison to the truths and secrets encompassed in Laura Poitras account of the Edward Snowden case.

22. "Force Majeure"

Gender roles are questioned with humorous but poignant observations on marriage and societal expectations in this Swedish hit from Ruben Östlund. Laugh-out-loud moments galore and an unforgettable “man cry” sequence are the result of a catastrophic controlled avalanche.

Carlos Aguilar's interview with Ruben Östlund and Johannes Kuhnke

21. "The Guest"

Adam Wingard’s perversely comedic stunner about a devilishly deceiving visitor was by far one of the most outrageously fun films I saw this year. It’s a masterwork of madness. I can’t wait to see what Wingard, writer Simon Barrett, and star Dan Stevens do next.

20. "Obvious Child"

Jenny Slate’s Donna Stern is navigating adulthood through laughter. Her standup performances are unfiltered, moving, and often hilariously distasteful, but always sincere. Slate and director Gillian Robespierre are a match made in comedy heaven.

Review "Obvious Child"

Carlos Aguilar's interview with Gillian Robespierre and Jenny Slate

19. "Inherent Vice"

There are numerous wacky characters and subplots in Paul Thomas Anderson’s adaption of Thomas Pynchon novel, but the real magic happens when Joaquin Phoenix and Josh Brolin are together on screen. “Motto panukeiku!” is all I have to say.

18. "Starred Up"

Jack O’Connell’s award-deserving performance packs raw energy, ferocious anger, and tragic vulnerability. Violence and respect are the only useful currencies in this potent prison drama that’s as thrilling as it’s emotionally devastating.

Carlos Aguilar's interview with David Mackenzie

17. "Listen Up Philip"

Brimming with originality and uncompromising humor, Alex Ross Perry’s look at the writing craft is pure brilliance. Jason Schwartzman stars as an obnoxious, self-centered young author. He is as utterly amusing and revels in his character’s hilarious arrogance.

16. "Boyhood"

Thanks to Richard Linklater’s perseverance we were able to experience an incredible and incomparable cinematic journey. Filled with small, but affecting moments of sorrow and joy, a child’s life - and that of those around him - literally unfolds on screen somewhere between reality and fiction.

15. "Selma"

Avoiding all the dreaded biopic clichés, director Ava DuVernay created a powerful historical drama that couldn’t be more opportune. Among a star-studded cast, David Oyelowo delivers a knockout performance as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

14. "Under the Skin"

Life on earth as seen by a seductive alien is simultaneously frightening and revelatory in Jonathan Glazer’s dazzling sci-fi character study. Scarlett Johansson is superb as a creature intrigued by the virtues and shortcomings of human nature.

Review "Under the Skin"

13. "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Everything we love about Wes Anderson and much more is included in this stylized beauty of a film. Ralph Fiennes is an irreverent, classy, womanizer that gets into trouble with an array of quirky villains played by a topnotch cast. From its score to the production design, this is Anderson at his best.

12. "The Boxtrolls"

Laika’s craftsmanship reached a new level of delightful greatness with this darkly comedic period piece. Their brand of stop-motion animation is impeccable. Each character is meticulously created with a wonderful physicality that no other medium can provide.

Review "The Boxtrolls"

11. "Leviathan"

Andrey Zvyagintsev’s masterpiece dissects the complexity of Russian society through a family drama that is as intimate as it is monumental in the themes it explores. Religion, government, and betrayal are all monsters haunting a righteous man at the mercy or their powers.

Carlos Aguilar's interview with Andrey Zvyagintsev

10. "Only Lovers Left Alive"

Between desolated Detroit and a moody Marrakesh, Jim Jarmusch's darkly comedic film delivers an incredibly original tale about familiar bloodsuckers. Permeated in groovy rock and roll music, vintage wardrobe, blissful production design, and an otherworldly atmosphere, “Only Lovers Left Alive” reclaims vampires as graceful, complex, and cultured beings, rather than the vehicle for teenage fantasies

Review "Only Lovers Left Alive"

9. "Nightcrawler"

Brutally unapologetic about the bloodthirsty practices of today’s media, Dan Gilroy’s directorial debut is a fantastic vehicle for Jake Gyllenhaal to deliver a performance unlike anything he’s done before. Outrageously insightful, Gilroy’s writing is a perverse delight that is at once analytical and utterly entertaining.

8. "Birdman"

While definitely hilarious, Inarritu’s latest work offers sharp observations on the nature of art and artists. This is a giant leap into new territory for the acclaimed Mexican filmmaker. His undeniable talent directing actors is what elevates his work from just a brilliant idea to a work that thrives on touching human vulnerability. Added to this, Emanuel Lubeski’s work in the cinematography department is a visual treat.

7. "Wild Tales"

This insanely inventive collection of deranged stories questions violence and revenge from a comedic angle. Besides being a complete riot that packs in uproarious humor, Damian Szifron’s film demonstrates his ability to create a cohesive film out of diverse vignettes united by the dark side of human nature. From start to finish, “Wild Tales” is truly a savagely fun trip.

Sydney Levine's Feature Piece on "Wild Tales"

6. "The Tale of the Princess Kaguya"

Studio Ghibli’s co-founder Isao Takahata demonstrates once more that his work is as spectacular as anything else the studio has created. His brand of handcrafted animation is of a uniquely exquisite kind that flows on the screen like streams of vibrant beauty. ‘The Tale of the Princess Kaguya” is perhaps his most striking work

5. "A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night"

This black and white, Persian-language vampire film is a revelation. Style and story elegantly arranged to be poetic and ethereal throughout. Undoubtedly the most dazzling feature debut of the year. Ana Lily Amirpour has a unique vision forged out of her fascination with genre films, music, and other peculiar interests, all of which blend into a delightful cocktail of beauty, danger, and pure originality.

4. "Winter Sleep"

Nuri Bilge Ceylan defines what being an auteur means every times he is behind the camera. Palme d’Or or not, “Winter Sleep” is the only film over 3 hours that has kept me fully engaged for every second of it. Every line of dialogue is as thought provoking as the next without being pretentious. He finds the fibers of human behavior and stretches them to their limit in every single scene. Absolutely mesmerizing

Review "Winter Sleep"

Sydney Levine's Feature Piece on "Winter Sleep" from Cannes

3. "Mommy"

The tenderly violent love between a mother and a son make for an intoxicating tour de force. Xavier Dolan plays with aspect ratios, music, evocative cinematography and raw, maddening emotions to produce one of the most heartbreaking and intense experiences I’ve ever had watching a film. I was in a complete state of exhilaration until the very last, perfect, frame.

2. "Ida"

There is not a single miscalculation in Pawel Pawlikowski’s immaculate post-Holocaust drama. Each frame is a stunning work of sheer perfection. Flawless cinematography, riveting performances by both leading actresses, and a story that is subtle on the surface but carries intense undertones about spirituality and the consequences of guilt, make of “Ida” a masterwork to be cherished for years to come

Review "Ida"

Sydney Levine's interview with Pawel Pawlikowski

1. "Song of the Sea"

I'm certain some people will think me crazy for choosing this film as my favorite of the year, but witnessing Tomm Moore’s gorgeous and ethereal craftsmanship was an unforgettable experience. What he was able to achieve here, both in technique and emotional poignancy, is absolutely outstanding. "Song of the Sea" is one of the most blissfully beautiful animated films ever made. It is a gem beaming with awe-inspiring, heartwarming magic. It will be a long time before animation reaches this level of mesmerizing artistry again.

Review "Song of the Sea"

Carlos Aguilar's interview with Tomm Moore...

Mood Indigo, adapted from the 1947 novel Froth on the Daydream by French novelist Boris Vian, sees a young couple fall in love with each other in a fantasy world of endless possibility. In this deleted scene Colin (Romain Duris) is introduced to the concept of books on pill – a medical dose of literature that allows you to hear the author's words in your head. Mood Indigo is released on DVD, Blu-ray and download on 24 November Continue reading...

No one creates worlds quite like Michel Gondry, and his latest, "Mood Indigo," based on the book by Boris Vian, gave him plenty of material to play with. A fantastical romance, with invented pianos and vehicles, and featuring an all star cast (Audrey Tautou, Romain Duris, Omar Sy, Gad Elmaleh, and more), the director conjured up a story and setting like few you'll see all year. And today, we have a couple copies of the film on Blu-ray—featuring both the director's cut and extended version—for a few lucky readers. A whimsical love story set in a charmingly surreal Paris, the film follows wealthy bachelor Colin, whose hobbies include developing his "pianocktail" (a cocktail-making piano) and devouring otherworldly dishes prepared by his trusty chef Nicolas. When Colin learns that his best friend Chick, a fellow acolyte of the philosopher JeanSol Partre, has a new American girlfriend, our lonely hero...

Réalité

Written and directed by Quentin Dupieux

2014, France

Presented as part of the Temps O’s Fnc program, Réalité is reminiscent of great names of absurd oneiric cinema, the most obvious influence being David Lynch. The movie also alludes to French surrealism in cinema and novels, such as novelists Andre Breton or Boris Vian. Dupieux’s delightful and hilariously neurotic film producer Bob Marshall could have been in a Jacques Tati movie or Boris Vian’s L’écume des jours. The film’s overall absurdist yet calm atmosphere makes it a strong example of the movement.

The image is bright, sunny and yet has a particular color and ambiance to it that makes the line between reality, dreams, and other parallel realities blur. As they all blend in this same photography and the same music, Philip Glass’s hour long song “Music with Changing Parts”, puts doubt in our minds...

★★☆☆☆French director Michel Gondry is well-known for his eccentricities and wild imagination. However, with his latest quirksome endeavour, Mood Indigo (2013), the director falls into the trap of artifice over art, neglecting both plot and themes in favour of wild flights of unsubstantiated fancy. Gondry has based his film on Boris Vian's 1947 novel Froth on the Daydream. The story focuses on Colin (played by Gaelic heart-throb Romain Duris), a debonair member of the leisure class who wiles away his days creating strange whiz-bang devices (including a piano that mixes cocktails) in the company of gentleman's gentleman and gastronomic genius Nicolas (Omar Sy) and keen bibliophile Chick (Gad Elmaleh).

Michel Gondry, the director of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, talks to Andrew Pulver about Mood Indigo, his new romantic drama in which he turns his signature homemade style on to the topic of terminal illness. Based on Boris Vian's 1947 novel The Foam of Daze, Gondry says the film channels the book's sense of adolescent romance. Mood Indigo is released in the UK on Friday Continue reading...

Whimsicality is a tough old nut to crack in cinema, with filmmakers attempts so often contrived. However one man that has walked that tight rope so often before – triumphantly – is Michel Gondry, and the man behind Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, now returns with his latest endeavour Mood Indigo, where he’s as surrealistic and whimsical as he’s ever been.

We had the great pleasure of sitting down with the unique filmmaker to discuss his latest project, as he told us what it was about this renowned Boris Vian novel that inspired him to make a movie, and he explained his decision to be so creative with this piece, and the balancing act between the more intimate aspects of the narrative, with the grandiose.

We also spoke to the film’s two leading stars, Romain Duris and Audrey Tautou, to tie in with the release of Chinese Puzzle,...

To mark the release of Mood Indigo on 1st August, we’ve been given a Prize bundle to give away including an original Mood Indigo poster signed by the Oscar winning Director, Michel Gondry, a rejacketed edition of the Boris Vian original novel for Mood Indigo, DVDs of Paris (with Romain Duris) and Coco before Chanel (with Audrey Tautou).

Based on the cult novel by Boris Vian and directed by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Science of Sleep), Mood Indigo tells the surreal and poetic tale of Colin (Romain Duris, Populaire, Heartbreaker) and Chloe (Audrey Tautou, Coco before Chanel, Delicacy) and their idyllic love-story. Set in a fantasy version of Paris, their romantic adventure is turned on its head when Chloe falls sick and discovers a water lily growing in her lung…

Please note: This competition is open to UK residents only

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The...

While those this side of the English Channel may not have heard of it as such, Boris Vian’s influential 1947 novel Froth on the Daydream is one that has become almost ingrained in French, teenage society, as a piece of literature that is something of a staple, must-read amongst a younger, impressionable crowd. Gaining a cult-following in the process, the much celebrated, innovative filmmaker Michel Gondry seemed the perfect fit to bring this fantastical tale to the big screen. However in this instance, the director’s inclination for contrived whimsicality devalues an otherwise enchanting love story.

Of course the story demands a surrealistic, wondrous approach, given the ethereal, dreamlike nature of the tale – but what can be achieved on paper does not always amount to a triumph on screen, as some things are best left to our wildest imaginations. To help bring this tale to the big screen (renamed Mood Indigo...

We talk to one-of-a-kind filmmaker Michel Gondry about his new film Mood Indigo, Eternal Sunshine, Philip K Dick adaptation Ubik and more...

Interview

Over the period of 20-or-so years, Michel Gondry has steadily built up a voluminous and relentlessly individual body of work, ranging from commercials and experimental short films to full-length features. Although Eternal Sunshine Of A Spotless Mind is arguably Gondry’s best-known and most acclaimed work, he's also made such films as Be Kind, Rewind, The Science Of Sleep, his quirky collaboration with Noam Chomsky, Is The Man Who Is Tall Happy?, and The Green Hornet, while flawed, has much to enjoy in it.

Mood Indigo is Gondry’s latest feature, and once again, it’s hand-crafted, warm and decidedly dreamlike. Based on the novel L'Écume des jours by Boris Vian, it’s about a young man named Colin (Romain Duris) who falls in love with a...

In a season where studios are spendings hundreds of millions of dollars on special effects to help tell fantastical stories, once again Michel Gondry is showing Hollywood how it's done. On a much smaller scale, and with far less cash, "Mood Indigo" presents no less an imaginative story, full with no shortage of Gondry-esque touches. And today we have some special items for Gondry fans. Starring Romain Duris, Audrey Tautou, Gad Elmaleh, Omar Sy, Aïssa Maïga and Charlotte Le Bon, "Mood Indigo" is based on the cult novel by Boris Vian and follows the the wealthy bachelor Colin, who falls headlong into a dizzy romance with Chloé. But when she succumbs to an unusual illness, one that causes a flower begins to grow in her lungs, Colin discovers the only cure is to surround her with a never-ending supply of fresh flowers. It's the perfect kind of story for Gondry to tackle,...

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,...

Kissing underwater two lovers revel in a perfect heavenly instant, oblivious to the unpredictably of calamity. Like the most luscious dessert their romantic odyssey brims with an engulfing sweetness, which only flaw is its finite nature. Every spoonful of vivid color in Michel Gondry’s whimsical paradise permeates the audience’s visual taste buds with a special blend of magical innocence laced with a devastatingly melancholic aftertaste. Orchestrated to beautifully obliterate the simplicity of reality “Mood Indigo” serves to materialize Boris Vian’s singular world through the director’s visionary imagination.

Sufficiently wealthy to finance his eccentric creative projects without the need for a job, insecure Colin (Romain Duris) lives in a vibrant apartment inhabited by adorably unique creatures. All of which come to life via a steady succession of artfully confected visual gimmicks. Stop-motion animation and practical trickery provide a marvelous physicality unattainable digitally. Colin’s butler turned live-in confident, Nicolas (Omar Sy), feeds him lavishly created dishes while declaring that real friendship can only be achieved from chasing girls together. This seems to become of crucial importance to the bachelor when his closest friend Chick (Gad Elmaleh), an obsessively devoted fan of writer Jean-Sol Partre, informs him he has a charming new girlfriend. Suddenly his “pianocktail” (a strange piano that mixes drinks based on the notes played) is not enough to keep Colin from feeling lonely.

Demanding to fall in love as well, the timid hero learns how to dance the sensual “biglemoi” and agrees to attend an upcoming soirée. Awkwardly scouting the crowd Colin meets the lovely Chloe (Audrey Tautou), whose delightful smile captivates him instantly. Whether flying on a cartoonish mechanical cloud while listening to catchy pop songs or clumsily ice skating the day away, Chloe and Colin courtship is a constant parade of imperfect situations but it's never dull. Beating Chick and his American girlfriend to the altar, the protagonists earn the right to marry racing in tiny cardboard karts. In one of the most gracefully dreamlike wedding sequences ever made, Gondry submerges the couple and his viewers in a moment of pure blissful romanticism.

But even in such a marvelous fantasy, inevitable injustice lurks around in the form of a flower that grows inside Chloe’s lung. Her fictitious illness makes for very real and intense emotions as Colin scrambles to see his beloved wife healthy once again. For the fascinatingly unrealistic realm the story exists in to work, the actors needed to be ready to fully dive into the uncanny atmosphere. In Tautou and Doris, Gondry found two perfect vessels to carry on the spirit of wonder evoked by the source material. They willingly give in to the extravagant poetry. They deliver heartfelt performances both incredibly joyous and, in Doris’ case, delicately gloomy. Colin attempts to literally rewrite his destiny, but the impending tragedy is unforgiving. With sadness taking over his life, the sun stops shining and all flowers are drained of color.

Gondry is a poet that writes with cinematic surrealist dreams. His vision is one of saturated beauty, so elegantly striking that is hard not to be seduced by it. In every frame the production design shines on its own without being overpowering. And even when the whole concept is about to become just a tad overwhelming, the soothing melody of the score balances the dynamic visual palette. Works like this, which come so sporadically, reinvigorate the notion of film as a limitless medium apt for the creation of the unlikeliest stories. “Mood Indigo” is an ocean of rapturous illusions for those who dare to swim in its breathtaking waters.

Read our interview with Audrey Tautou Here

"Mood Indigo" is now playing in L.A at the Nuart Theater and in NYC at the Sunshine Cinema...

One imagines that if one cracked open Michel Gondry’s brain and looked inside, it would look a lot like Mood Indigo — an elaborate, endless clown-car of whirligig contraptions and unreal images, with little bursts of romantic melancholy peeking out here and there. You might be tempted to assume that his work thrives when it’s matched with a countervailing intelligence — someone to temper his charming madness — but his best collaborators, people like Dave Chappelle, Charlie Kaufman and Jim Carrey, are as inventive and all over the place as Gondry himself. Together they’ve created works of limitless soul and emotional fluidity. So what’s holding Mood Indigo back?Of course, this film isn’t exactly a case of Gondry being left to his own devices. He’s adapting the cult novel L’Ecume des Jours by Boris Vian (which was translated into English as The Froth on the Daydream,...

Mood Indigo feels like a line in the sand. For the anti-appreciates of Michel Gondry‘s style, it could almost be taken as a dare. “You don’t like twee whimsy? Here’S Even More Of It.” For fans of the director, it comes across as a test. “You love this cotton candy stop-motion quirk? We will shove it down your throat for two hours (an hour and a half in the Us cut).” In previous Gondry films, flights of fancy came within specific settings, like dreamworlds or sweded movies. The entire universe of Mood Indigo is a cacophony of magical doohickeys, alien practices and other phenomena that go both unexplained and uncommented-upon. Alarm bells skitter around on insect legs. People go on dates in flying cloud machines. When they dance, their bodies contort into weird, often unsettling ways. A contraption called a pianocktail mixes drinks based on what keys you hit on a piano. And...

Mood Indigo's Audrey Tautou with Michel Gondry at the Tribeca Grand Hotel premiere: "I like the bell. The doorbell that is like an insect." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

Michel Gondry had a Tin Drum moment on the red carpet for his Mood Indigo*, starring Audrey Tautou and Romain Duris with Gad Elmaleh, Omar Sy, Aïssa Maïga and Charlotte Le Bon. Boris Vian transformed into Günter Grass with a Volker Schlöndorff image stuck in and out of Gondry's head ending up in Is The Man Who Is Tall Happy? An Animated Conversation With Noam Chomsky and out of a faucet in Mood Indigo. Tautou and Duris walked the red carpet in 2013 at The Paris Theatre - she for Claude Miller's Thérèse Desqueyroux and he for Régis Roinsard's Populaire.

Audrey Tautou at Mood Indigo New York premiere: "I was really intrigued by the imagination and phantasy of this universe." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

David Byrne,...

Plot: When a lonely - yet extremely wealthy - inventor discovers the love of his life they exchange wedding vows in hopes to share their life together. However, when she is diagnosed with a rare illness he discovers he must give up everything he has to try and save her. Review: Michel Gondry has a style all his own. It is one that is childlike, yet deeply romantic and eccentric. His latest feature Mood Indigo . based on the novel "L'écume des jours" by Boris Vian . is a whimsical...

Courtesy of Drafthouse Films

Check out Audrey Tautou, Romain Duris & Omar Sy in a new clip from director Michel Gondry’s fantasy/romance Mood Indigo - opening in select theaters tomorrow.

If you’re in New York, make sure to catch Audrey & Michel at the Landmark Sunshine tonight, tomorrow & Saturday for exclusive Q&As.

Mood Indigo Clip Honeymoon from We Are Movie Geeks on Vimeo.

Director Michel Gondry will appear in person on Thursday, July 17 for a Q&A after the 7:30pm show.

He will also appear with actress Audrey Tautou on Friday, July 18 for Q&As after the 5:00pm and 7:15pm shows and to introduce the 9:30pm show. On Saturday, July 19, Michel Gondry will appear in person for Q&As after the 4:00pm and 6:00pm shows.

In her review, Amy Nicholson (La Weekly) writes the film is, “bitter candy, a heartbreaker that uses sugar as a trap.

Michel Gondry is back. And he's going no holds barred. After slumming it as studio hired-gun and inner-city auteur (in 2011's The Green Hornet and 2012's The We and the I, respectively), the French director is back in small-batch surrealist mode with Mood Indigo (L'ecume des jours). The cult of Gondry can breathe a sigh of relief: with all its artisanal whimsy and handcrafted pizazz, this isn't just the movie you've been waiting for -- it's three of them. Now, if only Gondry had managed to make them add up to anything meaningful or affecting. I could offer some token plot summary here, but believe me when I say that it really, really doesn't matter. Adapting the 1947 Boris Vian novel L'ecume des jours, a...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Michel Gondry’s newest movie, “Mood Indigo” (based on the legendary French novel by Boris Vian), is filled with many of the same fantastical and emotional tropes that have been splashed throughout his filmography: cloud rides over France, cars made of see-through panels, a piano that produces cocktails (fittingly called a Pianocktail). There’s also the familiar romantic approach––a budding relationship between two individuals (Romain Duris and Audrey Tatou) that reaches the manic highs and depressing lows we’ve all come to experience at some point in our lives. It’s this juxtaposition between dreamlike and lifelike that makes Gondry such a unique voice in today’s industry. His shots are composed of images and props that come to life through stop-motion animation, while his stories often deal with the fear and excitement true love brings. Watching one of his films or music videos is like stepping into his subconscious––in my mind,...

From the moment it sputters to low-fi life, "Mood Indigo" is unmistakably the work of Michel Gondry, a sweet and sad little song of longing with the most visually inventive approach to emotion in any film this year. It is a strange surreal world that Gondry has created, one with no rules other than if someone in love starts coughing, that's not a good sign for them making it through to the end of the film. Gondry is a romantic, no doubt about it, and he's also a guy who rejects the idea of living a "normal" life, meaning his lead character is a man-child who drifts through his days, his whole mind focused on whimsy and the ridiculous. The worst thing in the world in this film is the notion of getting trapped into doing a "normal" job. Gondry seems to view that as death. Sure, he's working from a novel by Boris Vian,...

Back in March, we celebrated the tenth anniversary of Michel Gondry's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but the director actually has another complicated romance about star-crossed lovers coming to American theaters soon. It's the French-language Mood Indigo, starring Romain Duris as a wealthy, whimsical inventor whose true love (Audrey Tautou) is laid low when a water lily begins to grow in her lungs. (As far as romantic complications go, that's a new one!) The movie, adapted from the Boris Vian novel Froth on the Daydream, is out in New York and Los Angeles on July 18, but Vulture can continue to stoke your interest with an exclusive clip of the film's first kiss between Duris and Tautou. It perhaps doesn't go as planned, but as Tautou assures her beau, there will be plenty more to come.

While it seems this movie has been kicking around for a while now, Michel Gondry's "Mood Indigo" has yet to open in U.S. theaters. After premiering and hitting some festivals last year, Gondry actually went back to the editing room and snipped 36 minutes from the movie for its international dates. So yes, the version you'll be seeing will be significantly shorter, but Gondry himself approved of the cuts, and no matter what, it's still his vision all the way. To get you prepared for the film, two new clips have dropped online for this unique movie (one via Empire). Starring Romain Duris and Audrey Tautou, and based on the beloved novel by Boris Vian, the story follows the romance between Colin and Chloé that becomes complicated when the latter falls ill when a flower starts growing in her lungs. So yes, it's a bit fantastical, a bit romantic and a bit melancholy,...

Impish and imaginative, Michel Gondry is a distinctive moviemaking voice operating at a whole new pitch with his latest, Mood Indigo. One of the film’s Heath Robinson-esque joys, plucked from the pages of Boris Vian’s source novel, is the pianocktail, a musical device that conjures novel cocktails based on the timbre, tone and pitch of notes played. The pianocktail is the star of a new clip that can be viewed using our vidocktail below. brightcove.createExperiences();Playful and surreal, but with a melancholy tinge, Mood Indigo is a Parisian tale of one man (Romain Duris), one woman (Audrey Tautou) and a strange floral growth on a pair of lungs. Co-written by Gondry and Luc Bossi, it’s largely faithful to Froth On The Daydream, a dreamy roman à clef that’s built generations of loyal readers since it was first published in 1947.That dreaminess translates into a...

Michel Gondry is something of an enigma in the film world, and one who reportedly found himself in an uncomfortable position during and after The Green Hornet. His latest, Mood Indigo, is hitting in limited release on July 18th, and its the film to see this summer, if you get the chance.

Returning to the wonder of his beginnings (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), and taking a lot of notes from the past thirty years of French cinema, and Jean-Pierre Jeunet (and, borrows his favorite leading lady), Gondry’s lastest looks like it could easily be one of the year’s best.

Check out the new clip below, which expands on their meeting, which is hinted at in the trailer above.

Courtesy of Drafthouse Films.

Mood Indigo Clip – Colin meets Chloé

Eminently inventive Michel Gondry finds inspiration from French novelist Boris Vian’s cult novel to provide the foundation...

Chloe falls sick and discovers a water lily growing in her lung.

Based on the cult novel by Boris Vian and directed by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, The Science Of Sleep), Mood Indigo tells the surreal and poetic tale of Colin (Romain Duris) and Chloe (Audrey Tautou) and their idyllic love-story. Set in a fantasy version of Paris, their romantic adventure is turned on its head when Chloe falls sick and discovers a water lily growing in her lung…

Mood Indigo is released on 1 August 2014.

A new clip for Michel Gondry's fantasy romance "Mood Indigo" has been released. Opening in select cinemas Friday July 18, the film was inspired by Boris Vian's cult novel and tells the story of a budding romance between Colin (Romain Duris) and Chloe (Audrey Tautou), which is tested when an unusual illness plagues Chloe; a flower begins to grow in her lungs. It is Gondry's seventh feature film after the likes of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," "The Science of Sleep," "Been Kind Rewind" and "The We and the I," and certainly seems to play to his love of the surreal and whimsical. The scene is sweet snippet, and displays all the charm of Gondry's work. Colin approaches Chloe for the first time and asks "Have you ever been played by Duke Ellington?" It's a perfect moment, except nothing hits the mark. Check it out below:...

Eminently inventive Michel Gondry finds inspiration from French novelist Boris Vian's cult novel to provide the foundation for this visionary and romantic love story starring Audrey Tautou (Amélie, Coco Before Chanel) and Romain Duris (The Beat My Heart Skipped). Set in a charmingly surreal Paris, Duris plays wealthy bachelor Colin, whose hobbies include developing his pianocktail (a cocktail-making piano) and devouring otherworldly dishes prepared by his trusty chef Nicolas (Omar Sy, The Untouchables). When Colin learns that his best friend Chick (Gad Elmaleh, The Valet), a fellow acolyte of the philosopher Jean-Sol Partre, has a new American girlfriend, our lonely hero attends a friend's party in hopes of falling in love himself. He soon meets Chloé (Audrey Tautou) and, before they...

Michel Gondry is known for being one of the most visually imaginative filmmakers working in the medium these days, and his next film, "Mood Indigo," a love story between Audrey Tautou and Romain Duris inspired by a novel by French author Boris Vian, looks to be no exception. Colin (Duris) is a wealthy Parisian bachelor with a cocktail-making piano he calls a pianocktail and a healthy appetite for the culinary creations of his chef Nicolas (Omar Sy).  When he meets the beautiful Chloé (Tautou), they embark on a whirlwind romance through the City of Light, but of course, there is a catch. Chloé is stricken by a strange illness: a flower begins to grow in her lungs.  Colin quickly discovers the only way to keep Chloé healthy is to surround her with an endless supply of fresh flowers. "Mood Indigo" was nominated for three 2014 César awards, and is being distributed...

Audrey Tautou, Romain Duris & Omar Sy star in the new trailer from director Michel Gondry’s upcoming love story Mood Indigo - opening in select theaters July 18.

Vive l’amour… Sigh.

Eminently inventive Michel Gondry finds inspiration from French novelist Boris Vian’s cult novel to provide the foundation for this visionary and romantic love story starring Audrey Tautou (Amélie, Coco Before Chanel) and Romain Duris (The Beat My Heart Skipped).

Set in a charmingly surreal Paris, Duris plays wealthy bachelor Colin, whose hobbies include developing his pianocktail (a cocktail-making piano) and devouring otherworldly dishes prepared by his trusty chef Nicolas (Omar Sy, The Untouchables). When Colin learns that his best friend Chick (Gad Elmaleh, The Valet), a fellow acolyte of the philosopher Jean-Sol Partre, has a new American girlfriend, our lonely hero attends a friend’s party in hopes of falling in love himself.

He soon meets Chloé (Audrey Tautou) and,...

Drafthouse Films has released the Us trailer for director Michel Gondry's new film, Mood Indigo. I really enjoy Gondry's work, and he's made some fantastic films in his career such as Be Kind Rewind, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Green Hornet, and The Science of Sleep. He has a very unique and quirky style to the movies he makes, and Mood Indigo looks incredibly delightful. The film is a love story based on Boris Vian's novel, and it stars Audrey Tautou, Romain Duris, and Omar Sy. Here's the synopsis:

Eminently inventive Michel Gondry finds inspiration from French novelist Boris Vian's cult novel to provide the foundation for this visionary and romantic love story starring Audrey Tautou (Amélie, Coco Before Chanel) and Romain Duris (The Beat My Heart Skipped). Set in a charmingly surreal Paris, Duris plays wealthy bachelor Colin, whose hobbies include developing his pianocktail...

Back away from your fluffy DVD collection, unhand that Cheshire Cat-smiling theatrical poster and give that cardboard box some breathing room — it’s time for us to hit you with a big, fresh smack of charm and colors and Audrey Tautou just like, totally dying. Michel Gondry is back, baby, and he’s got an extremely “Michel Gondry”-looking film to entertain his (adorably) rabid fanbase, all with extra Tautou sweetness to rope in the Amelie obsessives out there. It’s sort of like if drugs were made out of cotton candy and gentle nap time dreams. And, yes, that’s a very good thing. Looking more like the direct descendent of his The Science of Sleep (a film that I will champion until the day I die, if only for the yarn ponies) than a close sibling of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Mood Indigo has Gondry again trafficking in charm, a...

Michel Gondry, the director behind such films as "The Green Hornet" and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," is back with another quirky movie, called "Mood Indigo," starring Audrey Tautou (The Da Vinci Code) and Romain Duris. And today we have a domestic trailer for it. Watch it below. Plot: In a world where you can travel around on a pink cloud or be swept off an ice-skating rink into a hole, Colin (Duris), a wealthy young man and inventor of the cocktail-mixing piano, wants to fall in love. With the help of his cook Nicolas (Omar Sy) and best friend Chick (Gad Elmaleh), he meets Chloe (Tautou), the incarnation of a Duke Ellington tune. But soon after their wedding, Chloe falls ill. She has a flower growing in her chest. Ruined by medical expenses, Colin resorts to increasingly desperate methods to save his beloved's life. The new movie is...

If only every illness could be treated in such a poetic way: In Michel Gondry’s upcoming film Mood Indigo, Chloe (Audrey Tautou) becomes ill on her honeymoon with Colin (Romain Duris) and can only be treated by being surrounded by flowers. We’d take that over cough syrup any day.

Mood Indigo is based on a 1947 French novel, Boris Vian’s L’Écume des Jours, that has been given the movie treatment before with films Japan’s Chloe and France’s Spray of the Day.

Although the premise may sound delightful, the story isn’t all roses — Chloe’s...

Michel Gondry is best known for films such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep. The trailer for his latest film, a fantastical romance, showcases Gondry’s trademark visual flair. The French-language film is based on novelist Boris Vian’s cult novel.

It is the surreal and poetic tale of Colin (Romain Duris), an idealistic and inventive young man, and Chloé (Audrey Tautou), a young woman who seems like the physical embodiment of the eponymous Duke Ellington tune. Their idyllic marriage is turned on its head when Chloé falls sick with a water lily growing in her lung. To pay for her medical bills in this fantasy version of Paris, Colin must go out to work in a series of increasingly absurd jobs.

The film made the rounds of film festivals last year and opens in the U.S. July 18th in limited release. Our review can be read here.

From the wild and imaginative mind of director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Be Kind Rewind) comes a new romance called Mood Indigo. The first Us trailer has arrived for the French film, and this looks just as whimsical as Gondry's previous foreign entry Science of Sleep as Colin (Romain Duris) falls in love with Chloe (Audrey Tautou). There's some strange stair-climbing cars, a floating cloud vehicle and more strangeness as these two people fall in love in the most peculiar way. This truly looks original and charming, and we wouldn't expect anything less from a visionary director like Gondry. Watch! Here's the official Us trailer for Michel Gondry's Mood Indigo, originally from Apple: Editor's Note: We've already featured trailers for this film before, but this one is for the Us release. Mood Indigo is directed by Michael Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) from...

While we’ve seen footage from Michel Gondry‘s new film Mood Indigo over the past year, here’s a proper Us trailer. This hits now because the film finally lands in Us theaters this summer from Drafthouse Films. The movie adapts the novel by Boris Vian, with Audrey Tatou and Romain Duris starring in a love story that […]

The post ‘Mood Indigo’ Us Trailer: Michel Gondry Tells a New Love Story appeared first on /Film.

Step into the world of Mood Indigo, Drafthouse Films' upcoming romance from director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). Based on Boris Vian's cult novel, the film stas Audrey Tautou, Romain Duris & Omar Sy and opens in select theaters on Friday, July 18th. Eminently inventive Michel Gondry finds inspiration from French novelist Boris Vian's cult novel to provide the foundation for this visionary and romantic love story starring Audrey Tautou (Amélie, Coco Before Chanel) and Romain Duris (The Beat My Heart Skipped). Set in a charmingly surreal Paris, Duris plays wealthy bachelor Colin, whose hobbies include developing his pianocktail (a cocktail-making piano) and devouring otherworldly dishes prepared by his trusty chef Nicolas (Omar Sy, The Untouchables). When...

Have you seen the new poster from director Michel Gondry‘s fantasy/romance Mood Indigo with Romain Duris, Audrey Tautou & Omar Sy.

Our friends over at Indiewire have debuted the poster today.

Eminently inventive Michel Gondry finds inspiration from french novelist Boris Vian’s cult novel to provide the foundation for this visionary and romantic love story starring Audrey Tautou (Amélie, Coco Before Chanel) and Romain Duris (The Beat My Heart Skipped.)

Set in a charmingly surreal Paris, Duris plays wealthy bachelor Colin, whose hobbies include developing his pianocktail (a cocktail-making piano) and devouring otherworldly dishes prepared by his trusty chef Nicolas (Omar Sy, The Untouchables).

When Colin learns that his best friend Chick (Gad Elmaleh, The Valet), a fellow acolyte of the philosopher Jean-Sol Partre, has a new American girlfriend, our lonely hero attends a friend’s party in hopes of falling in love himself. He soon meets Chloé (Audrey Tautou) and,...

Mood Indigo

Directed by Michel Gondry

Written by Michel Gondry and Luc Bossi

France/Belgium, 2013

Adapted from Boris Vian’s cult novel, commonly translated as Froth on the Daydream, Michel Gondry’s latest film is a riotous, whimsical journey with a lot more to say than initially meets the eye. The opening sequence threatens to drown you in a cavalcade of offbeat animation and special effects, including a stop motion eel, an insect-like doorbell, a TV chef who passes ingredients through the screen and a miniature man dressed up like a mouse. Gondry’s indulgence throws down the gauntlet right away – either you’re in or you’re out. Mood Indigo can be bewildering, exasperating, infuriating, but, then again, it can be utterly transportive.

It stars Romain Duris as Colin, a wealthy bachelor who lives in a luxurious Parisian apartment with his cook/lawyer/intellectual guide Nicolas (Omar Sy). He...

On his travels: a scene from Jean-Pierre Jeunet's The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet.

With the buyers and sellers safely despatched from Paris to Sundance this weekend it's the turn of the international media to move into the Grand Hotel for interviews with more than 100 actors and directors lining up for films to be released shortly in different countries as part of the 16th Unifrance Rendez-vous With French Cinema.

Among the talent talking up their films is Audrey Tautou (for the third part in the Pot Luck series, Chinese Puzzle, as well as Michel Gondry’s Blue Indigo after Boris Vian); Tautou’s Amelie director Jean-Pierre Jeunet with his new title The Young And Prodigious T.S. Spivet with Kyle Catlett, Helena Bonham Carter, Judy Davis and Callum Keith Rennie; Ludivine Sagnier for the romcom Love Is In The Air and former footballer Eric Cantona joining an orgy...

It.s been far too many years since audiences have gotten to see director Michel Gondry.s imagination make it to the screen in unfettered form, as last year.s The We and the I was centered in reality and The Green Hornet before that was not the kind of fantasy film Gondry fans want to see. Luckily, his next film Mood Indigo looks like his most visually ambitious effort yet, and U.S. audiences will soon be able to see it now that Drafthouse Films has acquired the rights. To celebrate the occasion, they also released a new still from the film, seen above, which unfortunately doesn.t involve miniature musicians or swaths of flowers. Mood Indigo is based on the 1947 novel L.Écume des Jours from French author Boris Vian. It centers on the blossoming romance that forms between Colin (Romain Duris) and Chloé (Audrey Tautou), resulting in...

Drafthouse Films has acquired U.S. rights to Michel Gondry’s “Mood Indigo” from Studiocanal, the distributor announced Monday. A return to the surreal landscape of emotion and imagination for Gondry, “Mood Indigo” showcases the acclaimed auteur’s signature whimsical aesthetics, gorgeous cinematography and colorfully eccentric characters. The film is a love story set in a charmingly surreal Paris about two newlyweds, Chloe (Audrey Tautou) and Colin (Romain Duris), whose whirlwind courtship is tested when an unusual illness plagues Chloe — a flower begins to grow in her lungs. Also Read: Drafthouse Buys Movie ‘The Final Member’ – About World’s Lone...

Drafthouse Films has picked up from Studiocanal all Us rights to Michel Gondry’s surreal romance starring Audrey Tautou and Romain Duris. Separately Tribeca Film has acquired Hide Your Smiling Faces.

Mood Indigo centres on a newly married couple whose whirlwind romance is put to the test when a mysterious plague enters Paris and a flower begins to grow in the woman’s lungs. Omar Sy also stars.

Luc Bossi of Brio Films produced the adaptation from Boris Vian’s novel L’Ecume Des Jours.

Drafthouse Films plans a multi-city theatrical platform release this year.

Tribeca Film has picked up North American rights to Hide Your Smiling Faces by Daniel Patrick Carbone. The film was recently named Best Film Still Awaiting Us Distribution by the National Society Of Film Critics Awards. George Rush brokered the deal for the producersStarz Digital Media and theatrical distributor Abramorama have partnered to release the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival opener and comedic documentary...

Drafthouse Films has picked up from Studiocanal all Us rights to Michel Gondry’s surreal romance starring Audrey Tautou and Romain Duris.

Mood Indigo centres on a newly married couple whose whirlwind romance is put to the test when a mysterious plague enters Paris and a flower begins to grow in the woman’s lungs. Omar Sy also stars.

Luc Bossi of Brio Films produced the adaptation from Boris Vian’s novel L’Ecume Des Jours.

Drafthouse Films plans a multi-city theatrical platform release this year.

Drafthouse Films has snapped up Michel Gondry's "Mood Indigo" for Us distribution. The film, starring Audrey Tautou and Romain Duris, is a love story about a pair of Parisian newlyweds. Here's the official synposis:The whirlwind courtship of Chloe (Audrey Tautou, Amélie, Coco Before Chanel) and Colin (Romain Duris, The Beat My Heart Skipped) is tested when an unusual illness plagues Chloe; a flower begins to grow in her lungs. Adapted from Boris Vian’s novel L’Ecume des jours, the romantic saga was produced by Luc Bossi of Brio Films and also stars Omar Sy (The Intouchables), Aïssa Maïga (Caché) and Gad Elmaleh.A theatrical release is planned for 2014, but no word yet on specifics. "Mood Indigo" played Karlovy Vary and Fantastic Fest in 2013.