`SCIENCE OF SLEEP' MAKES THE MIND A VISUAL WONDERLAND.

Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic

`Let's just say there's still some unsolved issues,'' the immature Stephane (Gael Garcia Bernal) tells his next-door neighbor and would-be love-of-his-life near the end of Michel Gondry's relentlessly whimsical new movie, ``The Science of Sleep.''

And, boy, is that an understatement. Frustrated artist Stephane grinds it out during the daytime, working for a Parisian calendar publisher who isn't impressed with the young man's ideas.

(Stephane's passion is to create a monthly pictorial commemorating the world's greatest disasters.)

Perchance to dream 

Fortunately, Stephane possesses an active dream life -- his subconscious has its own TV studio complete with cardboard cameras -- so there, he's able to turn his boss into a homeless man, giving him the freedom to create any calendar he wants.

Stephane develops a crush on the lovely Zoe (Emma de Caunes), probably because he knows he doesn't stand a chance with her. Who Stephane really connects with is the aforementioned neighbor, a fellow artist named Stephanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg), a woman so attuned to his sensibilities that it puts our hero in a bind. Can the man-child leave behind his dream world long enough to win this woman and finally grow up?

That plot summary is probably a too-tidy way of explaining ``The Science of Sleep,'' Gondry's first film without screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. Kaufman's absence is obviously what separates the movie from ``Human Nature'' and ``The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.'' For better or worse, ``Science'' is a look into the creative process and brain of Michel Gondry, and Gondry is self-aware enough to let on that it isn't always the most welcoming of places.

Rich visual fantasy

The film's low-tech, cut-and-paste wonderland will be familiar to anyone who has seen Gondry's music videos for Bjork, Massive Attack and the Chemical Brothers, which were collected to fine effect on DVD three years ago. That DVD came with a documentary titled ``I've Been 12 Forever.'' That pretty much sums up the spirit of ``Science.'' Gondry worships at the altar of childlike imagination, and the character of Stephane is his alter-ego -- curious, innocent and something of a jerk.

The engaging Bernal reaffirms his status as one of film's great young actors, gamely diving into a character that could have been insufferable in lesser hands. Of course, the same could be said of the whole film -- eccentricity that's this pervasive has to be presented by a master. Gondry is such a man, and with ``Science,'' he conjures up some of the most surreal visual images you'll see in a movie this year.

Glenn Whipp, [phone].

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THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP - Three stars

(R: language, some sexual content, nudity)

Starring: Gael Garcia Bernal, Charlotte Gainsbourg.

Director: Michel Gondry.

Running time: 1 hr. 45 min.

Playing: Landmark's NuWilshire in Santa Monica; Laemmle's Sunset 5 in West Hollywood.

In a nutshell: Essentially a movie about the mind of filmmaker Michel Gondry, and the filmmaker is self-aware enough to include ugly with the fantastic. Another great performance from Gael Garcia Bernal.

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Stephane (Gael Garcia Bernal) and Stephanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg) are next-door neighbors and would-be lovers in ``The Science of Sleep.''