When we first heard of Michel Gondry's intentions to adapt Boris Vian's novel L’ Ecume des jours --or The Foam of the Days in English—we had hoped a return to his French roots would likewise inspire a return to form, following the dismal and dull superhero misstep The Green Hornet. And the first look from the set—courtesy of Le Monde via The Playlist —definitely allays our fears, and encourages hope that Gondry is crafting something as charming and uniquely wondrous as his breakout hit Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Now titled Mood Indigo, the film unfolds the peculiar story of four lovers with curious compulsions. Heartbreaker's Romain Duris stars as Colin—seen above being pulled out of a wall by Audrey Tautou's Chloe.
He is an incredibly wealthy inventor with a generous nature and an incredible instrument called the pianocktail that blends music with smells. Once he meets Chloe, it's love at first sight, and so the pair is hastily wed. But sadly love is not all that blooms; shortly after their honeymoon Chloe discovers a water lily has taken root in her lungs. Only being surrounded by fresh flowers can provide her any relief, but this—as well as a generous gift to their friends Chick and Alise—is draining Colin's fortune fast.
See, spurred by love its glory, Colin gave a sizable chunk of his wealth to lovers Chick and Alise so that they too could marry. But Chick (Midnight in Paris's Gad Elmaleh) becomes fixated on philosopher Jean Sol-Partre and spends all they have on collecting his works. This urges Alise ( Paris, je t'aime's Aissa Maiga, seen above over Elmaleh's shoulder) to track down Sol-Partre and beg him to stop publishing his works. To avoid spoilers, let's just say, this doesn't go as planned.
Even knowing all this, it's difficult to make sense of many of the images above, which to me just makes them all the more enticing. One thing we can see is that Gondry has reinvested in his whimsical low-fi effects aesthetic, and will play the small role of Doctor Mangemanche.
Now if anyone wants to try to make sense of why a man is lodged in the drum kit above, please do so in comments.
Mood Indigo is now shooting.
