Michel Gondry returns with a charming real-time comedy drama about a single bus drive to school.
Michel Gondry's work is nothing if not varied, and The We and the I is no exception. Unfolding in real-time on a bus ride through the Bronx, Gondry seamlessly moves his camera through the group of teenagers (predominately black and hispanic) on the last school day before summer, as they negotiate bullies, lovers, friends and frenemies. Gondry's use of a free moving camera, music, rapid cuts and dialogue makes for a youthful tone that helps the film embrace the style and perspective of its young cast.
Despite a few fanciful flourishes, Michel Gondry has fought the Hollywood law, and the law has won.
As enjoyable as Michel Gondry’s filmmaking is, the pace and overall lack of drama limit this documentary’s potential.
By Tom Eagar
An age-old story of unrequited love turned into a dazzlingly ambiguous, abyss-like tale of love’s inherently fleeting nature and human fallibility.
By Matthew Pink
