Michel Gondry: Do It Yourself

Michel Gondry: Do It Yourself (2023) is an intimate film portrait that traces three decades of a singular, inventive filmmaker. It follows Gondry’s restless creativity, from his breakthrough music videos to his idiosyncratic features, revealing a body of work that is at once astonishing and imperfect. The movie captures his hands-on approach—paper, glue, and tape as much as cameras and lights—showing how constraint and playfulness fuel his visual experiments.

The film lays bare the mechanics behind Gondry’s signature tricks: stop-motion, handmade contraptions, and whimsical in-camera effects that give his work a tactile, immediate feel. Interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, and archival clips combine to show a director who embraces failure and chance, crafting images that are both meticulous and delightfully rough around the edges. Collaborators and admirers weigh in, drawing a map of a career built on curiosity, improvisation, and relentless reinvention.

At its core, the portrait is a meditation on art made from memory and fragility. Gondry’s films often feel wounded and hopeful at once, turning personal vulnerabilities into poetic cinema that resonates emotionally. This documentary mirrors that spirit—fragmented, playful, and sincere—offering viewers a close, compelling look at an artist whose damaged, fascinating work continues to surprise and inspire.