Mood Indigois Gondrys latest feature, and once again, its hand-crafted, warm and decidedly dreamlike.
In many ways, its his most accomplished and moving film sinceEternal Sunshine.
I have to say, I foundMood Indigoprofoundly moving.
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Yeah.
Like, when you read a book, you sort of visualise it?
It felt to me as I watched it, that its a compression of life.
Of meeting and falling in love, and obsession and illness.
Is that what interested you?
Its a very simple and strong love story.
And all the surroundings are reflective of whats going on in the characters minds.
I wanted to find a simple story where I could use all my creativity and ideas.
And because the story is simple, it allowed me to explore many ways of illustrating it.
Your films often deal with dreams.
Where does that interest come from?
I had a lot of dreams and nightmares as a kid, and I always used them creatively.
I live constantly with my dreams.
Theyre part of my memories at the same level as my waking experience.
Theyre like our brains solving problems in our subconscious?
Well, Im not sure I like to explore them on an intellectual level, you know?
Like psychoanalysis or symbolism.
I think, in a very simple way, they reflect how we feel.
Now, the psychoanalytical explanation of dreams is very much like fake science thats my own opinion.
I just venture to reproduce, with honesty, what goes on in my dreams.
That feeling in my heart while Im dreaming, thats what interests me.
I dont really need to explain anything.
Your films are always visually inventive.
Theres always something surprising in them, whether its stop-motion or hand-drawn animation, or model effects.
Do you think that impulse to invent comes from your background, with your grandfather being an inventor?
I always wanted to be an inventor myself.
I wanted to be either an inventor or a painter.
And when I bought my first camera, I realised I could be both of those things combined together.
Half a painter, half an inventor.
I thought that was what the camera could be used for.
So I mixed them up, both of them, and it was disgusting!
But at least I tried it!
[Laughs]
You have to try it once, dont you!
You mentioned your love of painting.
I thought the first half ofMood Indigoreminded me of Marc Chagall.
I dont know why the lovers, floating.
That sense of weightlessness in his paintings.
Maybe like when they leave the church, theyve just got married and theyre floating on water.
I try not to think of too many existing forms of art when Im making my movies.
I mean, theres literature, of course, if Im adapting an existing story.
I get my images from what the writer thought of.
I dont like that.
Its the function of the image [that is important].
Do you keep any of them?
I should do I should keep them all.
But its always a problem when people ask me, do you want to do a retrospective?
So I didnt keep any of those things, from Bjorks videos for example.
So we keep some for a while, and then it gets destroyed.
It ends up being discarded.
No, I wish it was!
And that predatedThe Matrixby a year.
We had the same idea at the same time.
But my idea was to reverse the use of the camera.
So normally, the camera doesnt move, but the subject moves.
I reversed that, and had the camera move and the subject stay still.
So thats the kind of experiment I like to do in videos and commercials.
You dont want something like that to distract from the story.
Is there one of those experimental commercials or videos youre really, really proud of?
The first time I saw it, I was like, wow.
It was a really strong feeling.
The one with the Lego blocks, I think thats pretty interesting.
Ah, for the White Stripes?
The one with the drum kit for the White Stripes was a pretty nice effect.
Youve never stuck to one form of filmmaking.
Youve done short films and documentaries and features and art installations.
Is there anything youd like to do that you havent had a chance to try yet?
Maybe make a masterpiece!
Then after that I did videos for Daft Punk and whoever, people forgot about it.
Its the favourite movie of everyone Ive worked with, or who has worked for me.
Are you still going to adapt Philip K DicksUbik?
Im not sure yet.
Im still working on it, but its taking forever.
Im going to do another movie first, for sure.
Can you tell me about that next film, what it might be like?
Its a kids story.
A road trip in France.
You see two peoples friends developing.
The feelings in their life.
What attracted you toUbikin the first place?
Its a very strong and dark story.
Theres a lot of surprises.
The book takes you to places you dont expect to go.
It makes it very hard to adapt, so Im a bit scared at the moment!
So many filmmakers are drawn to his work.
Do you think it has a similar quality to Boris Vian, because its so visual?
Its a bit surrealistic, but its also different.
The concepts are so far-out, they end up fighting each other, those styles.
Do you think youll ever go back to Hollywood and make another film as big asGreen Hornetagain?
Well, if they give me a screenplay.
But right now, theres nothing really that interests me.
There are too many superheroes.
Youre not hugely into those kinds of movies, then?
Theyre a bit closed-minded.
Michel Gondry, thank you very much.
Mood Indigois out in UK cinemas on the 1st August.
