Microbe & Gasoline | Michel Gondry | New York Film Festival 2015
The mobile home, redefined. In a sea of mundane coming-of-age films, Microbe & Gasoline is a bright-eyed breath of fresh air. Academy Award-winning writer and director Michel Gondry is no stranger to the strange, but his latest film finds its feet more firmly planted on the ground.
Gondry is a jack-of-all-trades. He’s done numerous short films, feature films, documentaries, music videos, and advertisements. Personally, my first exposure to his work was The White Stripes’ video for ‘Fell in Love With a Girl’, animated entirely with LEGO bricks in stop motion. This abstract approach is a common thread throughout all of his creations, rejecting our reality and opting for the surreal. His six degrees of separation include ‘The Stripes, Björk, Daft Punk, The Chemical Brothers, Beck, The Vines, The Rolling Stones, Spike Jonze…and Charlie Kaufman. While his directorial debut was Human Nature (2001), he first came to prominence in feature film for directing and co-writing Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) in collaboration with Kaufman and Pierre Smith, earning them a joint award for Best Original Screenplay. Eternal Sunshine proved that modern mainstream audiences could resonate with challenging filmmaking, as long as it had an emotional center.
I think that after a while, Gondry’s work fell victim to expectations. Going into a film, you might preemptively expect a “mind bender” experience, to be left dazzled. Microbe & Gasoline is proof that he’s more than a one-trick-pony. While delightfully quirky, it could very well exist in our reality. The movie stars newcomers Théophile Baquet and Ange Dargent as ‘Gasoil’ and ‘Microbe’, respectively. Odd names, though in context they make perfect sense. These two souls, lost in their own rights, happen to meet and become companions. In an attempt to escape the oppression of their classmates and parents, they plan a daring getaway in a makeshift vehicle.
The coming-of-age comedy genre has been rather stagnant recently. It probably hit a high point in the 1980’s at the hands of John Hughes, but save for a few recent gems like Superbad (2007) and Easy A (2010), it’s been very, very quiet. Maybe it’s just American comedy, but one can only withstand so many fart and virgin jokes. While it still has many classic themes, Microbe & Gasoline has a charming, clever wit to it that provides just enough humor to make you smirk. Its best success is making you return to your own childhood, your own adventures with your best friend…when you had no real responsibility. In an age where we’re moving toward standardized tests and common core, phone apps and streaming video, I fear that creativity is being stifled in our youth. While building a house-shaped car might seem a bit surreal, I think the concept behind it is not.
Microbe & Gasoline presents a more focused, accessible Michel Gondry without completely removing his abstract style of direction. It’s a rare treat to see such a careful, unbridled portrayal of youth and its experience, including all the highs and lows. Its concept and strong performances by the young actors drive this house home. Just leave your GPS behind, take out your favorite pleather jacket, and enjoy the ride.
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