Refocus: the Films of Michel Gondry

'This remarkable collection of articles focusses on one of the most prominent and internationally renowned French directors seen through the lens of academics and researchers. A must-read for filmgoers as well as researchers who want to discover or rediscover Michel Gondry's inventive and very distinctive visual style as well as the mesmerizing universe he creates.' Michael Abecassis, University of Oxford The acclaimed French auteur behind the mind-bending modern classic Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), for which he won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, Michel Gondry has directed a number of innovative, ground-breaking films and documentaries, episodes of the acclaimed television show Kidding and some of the most influential music videos in the history of the medium. In this collection, a range of international scholars offers a comprehensive study of this significant and influential figure, covering his French- and English-language films and videos, and framing Gondry as a transnational auteur whose work provides insight into both French/European and American cinematic and cultural identity. With detailed case studies of films such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Science of Sleep (2006), Microbe & Gasoline (2015) and Mood Indigo (2013), this collection appeals to readers interested in the various media in which Gondry has worked, and in contemporary post-modern French and American cinema in general. Marcelline Block is a graduate of Harvard and Princeton Universities and has written numerous books and articles on French and francophone cinema, literature, music and visual art, including French Cinema in Close-up: La vie d'un acteur pour moi (2015), which was named a Best Reference Book of 2015 by Library Journal. Jennifer Kirby received her PhD in Media, Film and Television from the University of Auckland, New Zealand in 2018 and is currently a Senior Tutor in Media Studies at Massey University.