The eccentric king of French whimsy, Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) is back with a film based on a cult French fantasy novel. Romain Duris stars as Colin, an off-beat and romantically unlucky inventor (his latest is the ‘pianocktail’ – a piano that produces quality cocktails).
Meeting the woman of his dreams in the form of the endlessly charming Chloe (Audrey Tatou), they embark on a whirlwind courtship full of fanciful romance as they ice-skate and jazz dance their way into one another’s hearts.
After deciding to marry (underwater of course!), their bliss is interrupted by the news of Chloe’s strange illness – a flower has begun to grow on her lungs and her deteriorating health puts strain on their once carefree existence.
Combining charismatic performances from both his leads with a mixture of stop-motion animation, digital special effects, mechanical effects and stuntwork, Gondry’s film crafts a charmingly poetic tale of bittersweet romance.