Review: Mood Indigo (FILM)

So this first review comes in the form of a film.

Please let me introduce you to Mood Indigo.



Director: Michel Gondry (most known for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.)

Starring: Romain Duris, Audrey Tautou, Gad Elmaleh and Omar Sy.

Despite having been released in France in 2013, we've only just had the film released here in the UK. (1st August 2014 to be precise.) So if you're hoping to catch this in cinemas here, I have a feeling you'll have to be quick as it probably has a limited release.

Now enough of the word 'release' in its various incarnations. To the film. Honestly put, it wasn't what I was expecting. Is this a bad thing? No. It just took me a while to adjust to this wonderfully weird world I had been thrust into without fully informed consent.

The trailer does slightly allude to this, but there is so much more of a surreal element to the film than what is revealed (but you would expect as much from a film that has a protagonist who gets ill from a water lily growing in her lung.)

At its heart this film is a love story. A boy meets girl. Happiness ensues for a while, until tragedy strikes. As for the ending, I won't ruin the surprise.

Although at times the absurd nature of this film can overwhelm you whilst watching and sometimes distract from the plot, at the same time, it does manage to appropriately mirror the emotion of the characters in the story. (For those interested, this is an adaptation of the book: L'ecume Des Jours.)

I did leave the cinema a little shell shocked, but I did find myself with a smile on face. And it is a film who's story has lingered with me. I think it is one of those films that grows on you after a couple of days having seen it. (Also have to mention that this has a brilliant soundtrack if nothing else.)

This wasn't the best film I've ever seen, but nor was it the worst.

Basically, if you're in the mood for some Duke Ellington, love Tautou and Duris as I do, and want to experience something a little different I would give this a go. It's something that will keep you intrigued for an hour and a half. As my mother put it: 'I didn't look at my watch once, but it was kind of weird.' 

That's a good recommendation if I ever heard one.