Michel Gondry and Olivier Gondry’s new collaborative film project sticks with you long after the honeymoon phase, an aural and spectacular treat that explores the way we love, lust and live.
Las Vegas Love Stories is six films, each 8.2 seconds long, all shot at the Park MGM in Las Vegas. The concept here is that it reportedly takes about that long to fall in love, which I can personally confirm.
Vice Media hosted a Q+A with the brothers where they talked about the physical challenges of shooting in a hotel, (it’s not easy, apparently, to make a 4 ft. deep pool look like it’s 20 ft. deep), their working relationship and which of them has a worse accent.
The shorts are incredibly potent, in part because of their signature whimsy and impactful direction, but also due to strong performances and an unforgettable soundtrack.
‘Room 802’ uses a chorus of buoyant violins and dampened piano to highlight a love affair started in an elevator. Long after watching this one, I’m still going up.
‘The Big Eight’ is about love at a craps table – and what is love, if not a crapshoot? A last-second appearance from a horny stranger shows more than two can play at that game.
Actors appear in different contexts across films – a lead here is an extra there – and many of them are real couples, which lends an extra sweetness to an already-emotional presentation.
The directors had trouble pinning down which short was their favorite, but said they approached them all as a single film. The congruent design of the Park MGM and bold visual choices tie things together nicely.
