Mood Indigo (2013)

Just perfect...

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

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.

By now, you pretty much know what you're getting into when you watch a Michel Gondry film. Insanely innovative visuals and whimsical situations with really emotional moments, right?Well, that works when it's service of a story. But here, in MOOD INDIGO, his style has gone off the rails. It's Gondry-ness for Gondry-ness sake. I had a hard time following the narrative because it was wall-to-wall eye candy with no rhyme or reason or purpose for existing. That's cute when you're an 11 year old who wants to watch something stylish on the surface because you think "it's edgy." But for us adults who actually want to get invested in a movie, in the lives of the characters, it's a pain in the ass.Let's see-- there's a man in a mouse suit who everyone pretends is a real mouse, there's a claymation doorbell that's constantly getting squashed like a bug, there's a cooking show host that talks to people and hands them food through the TV. But is there a story? HELL NO.It's only when the movie makes a pretty drastic changeover in style and mood that it actually tells a story and begins to resemble something more along the lines of Eternal Sunshine. But by the time it gets going, it's too late. And I had stopped caring.

I saw this film originally during a long flight. I just loved it and once back home, tried to find it in stores. Was now successful and watched it the second time. yes, this is the kind of film I would have loved already when I went to college -however, at the time, there were hardly any surrealistic movies at market, at least in a small country (except Fellinis). I fell in love with this movie again. There were so many things and levels to make you things about yourself and your imagination, even parts of your dreams. I would recommend it to anyone working in psychiatry -as well as friends of fantasia, may it be books, comics or movies. I did not feel it was boring even the second time watching, and that should be counted as a plus to a movie.

"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.