No one creates dreamlike worlds quite like Michel Gondry. The world inhabited in Mood Indigo is cartoon-like and defies many of the physical laws that govern and shape the environment we know. He uses a variety of methods to achieve this, seamlessly incorporating projections, stop-motion, and a range of tricky special effects I can't name. But despite this healthy dose of the surreal, the viewer immediately accepts this charming world's unfamiliar qualities. Much of this effect can be credited to the actors, who take everything in their stride and are kind enough to invite us to follow. Also, the physical environment in Mood Indigo is used to reflect its characters emotions/health. In this sense, there is some logic to their world - but it is a dream-logic.
Similarly, the photography of the film reflects the story and transitions from bright-carefree-happy to bleak-struggle-hardship. The film is at all times beautiful, and it handles this transition well, but ultimately it is this unusual structure that proves to be the film's greatest obstacle. When a film tells a story of people making it through hard times to reach the good on the other side, the audience is uplifted. This film does the opposite. To what effect? It is sad. The charming protagonists meet their fate with considerable grace, which provides a sense of hope. There is an underlying message that love is enough, and that one can choose to meet the hardest of circumstances with dignity. But mostly, it is sad. The predominant theme is rather bleak: life is fragile and one random event can be enough to turn our fortunes, perhaps none of us are as far from destitution as we like to believe. This may be true, but it is not a message most of us like to hear. And so I think this film will struggle to reach a wide audience.
See this film for a visually beautiful experience. The story has many charms, but is ultimately more depressing than uplifting. As far as tragedies go, this is a pretty happy one.
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