What passes for a plot is little more than an endless stream of oddities
constructed by the wealthy Colin (Romain Duris), an independently wealthy
man-child whose home resembles Pee-Wee's Playhouse on steroids. Seriously, this
place is a crazy concoction of strange inventions like the pianococktail (it
does exactly what you think), and weirder inhabitants like Colin's pet mouse
which is really just a dude in a mouse suit. Oh, and his alarm clock literally
races around the house every time it goes off. He lives in the home with his
lawyer buddy Nicholas (Omar Sy), who specializes in a rubber-legged form of
dance that involves literal rubber legs. So yeah, it's a little out there, even
for a Gondry film.
And maybe that's the problem in a nutshell. Gondry has become so wistful he
no longer has any restraint; there is no method to his madness. So when Colin
meets and falls in love with the beautiful and fanciful Chloe (Audrey Tautou),
their whirlwind courtship consists of riding in cars made of clouds and other
imaginative excursions but little in the way of real bonding. Duris and Tautou
have played lovers before, notably in the Spanish
Apartment trilogy, and have a goofy, playful chemistry that is easy to
fall for. Their scenes together are infectious and enjoyable, with Gondry
creating what often amounts to a sweet, confectionery music video of their
budding relationship. Before long, Chloe and Colin are married but their wedded
bliss is ruined when a water lily begins to grow in her lungs. If she is to
survive he must constantly surround her with freshly grown flowers. The
financial wear drains Colin's bank account, forcing him to work at increasingly
awful jobs to make ends meet.
As things turn for the worse, Gondry slowly darkens his vibrant color
palette to a depressing gloom. Colin's world becomes one of shadows and
cobwebs, but it's still Gondry playing around with effects so it never feels
real. Choosing to show human sadness through camera tricks rather than genuine
emotions leaves the film muddled and impossible to relate to. Gondry's movies
will never be dull, but Mood Indigo is a beautiful and soulless
disappointment from such a talented filmmaker.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
