3rd-row I stumbled into this movie after seeing the preview and thinking this would be a nice clever movie to watch and it was for the first half-- until Chloé becomes ill. The movie starts with vibrant colors, wonderful visual action, meals that are literally animated. Just look at the photos on IMDb. All happy. I really enjoyed the first half. Then Chloé gets a lung infection and her lover/husband Colin goes on a quest to save her. The film turns dark (literally) and by the end I felt like I'd been watching John Hurt in "1984". That crushed. You have been warned.

dipesh parmar 'Mood Indigo' is a new Parisian love story by French director Michael Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Science of Sleep, Be Kind Rewind, The Green Hornet). The film is based on the 1947 book "L'Écume des Jours" by Boris Vian, who was also a singer-songwriter, jazz trumpeter and all-round cool dude.Set in Paris, France, 'Mood Indigo' travels between the 1940s, the present and a lo- fi/sci-fi future. Colin (Romain Duris) is a wealthy inventor, he lives with his friend Nicolas (Omar Sy) who is a lawyer and chef, in a converted rail carriage suspended between two buildings. His best friend Chick (Gad Emaleh) introduces him to Chloé (Audrey Tautou), a romance blossoms.Vian provides the perfect form of inspiration, Gondry's visual flair and surreal box of tricks is irresistibly conceived. From the opening scene we see rows of typists typing away on typewriters that move along without stopping, pianos that make cocktails, a TV chef who can reach through the screen to hand you ingredients, a dance style that turns your legs to rubber, to cranes lifting spaceships around Paris to give the best views of the city.Its an overwhelming experience, especially the opening 30 minutes. Duris, Tautou and Sy do well to draw you back into reality, of sorts. Their performances are as breezy and whimsical as everything around them, but the mood isn't always so colourful, especially when Chloe's health suffers. Sy's character didn't sit too comfortably, his eager to please servant/chef and occasional lawyer is a cringeworthy throwback to outdated stereotyping.'Mood Indigo' only just avoids the pretentious pitfalls which many films of this ilk can get sucked into, it often lapses into moments when such surreal inventiveness should be reined in, its occasionally overindulgent and a little precious. But Gondry's manifestations of Colin's experiences and feelings into physical forms is impressive, creating a surreal worldview which craves your attention, and its hard to resist such an overflow of creativity and imagination.

Sergeant_Tibbs It's been a long time since I've been acquainted with Michel Gondry. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep are two of my all-time favourite films. Be Kind Rewind was an unfortunate misfire but I already warmly welcome his style. However, I've never seen him quite so unrestrained like this. Mood Indigo is a truly fantasy world. No dream, no drugs, and nothing is how you'd expect. Not even dancing, not even a handshake. To say the world of Mood Indigo is surreal and absurd is an understatement and no words can quite grasp the chaos on screen. It's like an R-rated Dr. Seuss. Like Gilliam's Brazil. But, it's an absolute delight. Things may not make sense at any point, but it's not about symbolism, it's about expressionism. The characters are deeply human, and that's what counts. All these inventions, twists, obscurities all about emotion. And Mood Indigo constantly had me bellying with laughter or sinking an anchor in my stomach when tragedy strikes even when I wasn't sure what was happening.That's the spirit of filmmaking really, to feel how the characters are feeling, and this film achieves it admirably. But at times it is so dense that its hard to keep up. The special effects and production design are wonderful, but the way it's shot in HD does sometimes nullify its effects and brings us back to reality in a way it doesn't want (I would've preferred Gondry to not have his cameo). Sometimes the cast can't even keep up with it. I really wasn't sure about the cast at first. They're familiar faces, but they didn't seem to suit the tone, plus they felt too old. However, with the film's dark twist in the second half, so dark the film turns black and white, it did become apparent that these cast members fit this melancholic side of the world. I wish it wasn't so bloated in characters and was more restrained like The Science of Sleep. The great soundtrack definitely adds to its rich atmosphere too. I do hope this film will stick with me like his two best films. It may be manic, but it's thoroughly charming. Not Gondry's best but his best in a long while.8/10

Ellie_k This film is so captivating by its surrealistic beauty. There were quite a few moments in which I felt completely immersed into the world which unfolded before my eyes. Regardless of the surrealistic interpretation of everyday life, all emotions and the essence of everything that happens to the main characters is so realistic - all the joy, the moments of shyness, the starving for affection, the soreness of despair, the unfaithfulness - all of those are pretty real and everyone can recall having felt some of those ways in certain times of their lives.Moreover this film takes the audience through a blend of emotions going from one extreme to another and revealing both the beauty of true happiness and the bitterness of absolute sorrow.I highly recommend this film to everyone who is looking for a worthwhile experience.