Two for Gael: Bad Education & The Science of Sleep

Gael Garcia Bernal’s filmography includes:
Mammoth (2009)
Blindness (2008)
Babel (2006)
The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
The Crime of Padre Amaro (2002)
Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001)
Amores Perros (2000)

BAD EDUCATION (LA MALA EDUCACION)

RATING: 4.5/5

DIRECTOR: Pedro Almodovar (Volver, All About My Mother)

STARRING: Gael Garcia Bernal, Fele Martinex

THE GIST: So where do I start? Ignacio submits the script of “The Visit” to a filmmaker. It is a story inspired by his childhood – how the friars molested him and how he was separated from his first love. Mind you, that is just the tip of the iceberg.

NEW YORK MAGAZINE SAYS: It still exerts an uncanny power: Like the best of Almodóvar’s work, it throws you a first-love sucker punch that will stagger your heart, mind, and soul.

I SAY: To describe this Almodovar film as complex and layered may not be enough to cover its breadth and depth. The story goes farther than you can conceive and the surprises and reversals keep on whirring. It’s about life imitating art and art imitating life. It’s about concealed identities, guile, and hidden motives. It’s about pedophilia, religion, lust, and moral corruption. You’ve been warned: this film is a mouthful. And don’t miss Gael in drag.




THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP (LA SCIENCE DES RÊVES)

RATING: 3/5

DIRECTOR: Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Be Kind Rewind)

TAGLINE: Close your eyes. Open your heart.

BEST LINE/S: Randomness is very difficult to achieve. Organization always merges back if you don’t pay attention.

STARRING: Gael Garcia Bernal, Charlotte Gainsbourg

THE GIST: A boy, who distorts reality with his dreams, falls in love with his next-door neighbor.

UG-O SAYS: A creative, original work by a filmmaker with a fantastic visual flair who refuses to stick to any typical cinematic patterns, even if it's sometimes to a fault.

I SAY: This odd yet comic love story set in a cut-and-paste wonderland is nothing short of imaginative.