Mood Indigo (2013)

Directed by: Michel Gondry
Country: France

Movie Review: Adapted from a novel by Boris Vian, Michel Gondry’s “Mood Indigo” is a futuristic romantic comedy filled with animation, which lies somewhere between the happiness of “Amélie” and the fantasy of Jan Svankmajer’s films without the darkness associated to its stories and mechanical creatures. This sounds good, but Gondry’s versatility has already proved not to be always consistent and this is another case in which the technical aspects are much more highlighted than the story. The film stars Romain Duris and Audrey Tautou as Colin and Chloé, respectively, a loving couple whose happiness is tested after Chloé got sick with a growing daffodil in her lungs caught during their honeymoon. A great soundtrack along with alluring visuals containing vivid colors, animated animals and objects that gain life, and unexpected distortions of the body, were scarcely sufficient to content me, since the romance was enable to convey any empathy or emotion. Many scenes, despite beautifully set up, lack depth and were presented in a childish way, with a joyful posture that was often annoying. I didn’t find it funny either, and must confess that for several occasions I had to struggle with myself to keep on watching so many details created to catch the eye but evincing a superficiality behind them that could not be ignored. The sumptuous yet frivolous “Mood Indigo” left me indifferent all the way through, becoming another failed adventure from Gondry’s creative mind.