"“This may feel like a mere school project for Gondry, but one he no doubt would have received a good mark in...”"

Michel Gondry has never been one to surrender to the conventionalism’s of Hollywood, as the director of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind continues to challenge himself, and adapt his own directing style to appeal to different target audiences – this time aiming towards an urban, teenage market in his latest feature The We and the I.

Set on the final day of the school term, on one prolonged bus journey through the streets of Brooklyn, New York, we study the interactions and relations amongst a group of youngsters, on the verge of a lengthy summer break. Solely set on this one journey – we witness the social hierarchy that exists amongst youths, with the more gregarious trouble makers – including the somewhat misunderstood Michael (Michael Brodie) - sitting at the back, while the more unpopular kids edge closer towards the driver.

We have a girl preparing for her super sweet 16 birthday, a group messing around on guitars in one corner, girls discussing sex in another, two young gay men on the verge of a break up, and then of course Teresa (Teresa Lynn) who returns to see her friends following an incident which has seen her off school for a while. Amidst the difference in status and personalities amongst this group, the only one thing that appears to unite them all, is the video message being passed around of a fellow peer sliding across a kitchen floor and knocking into a fridge.

As what proves to be an effectual study of the mechanisms of the juvenile mind, The We and the I is accompanied by a rhythmic, pulsating Hip Hop sound track, which helps this film roll along to the wheels of the bus. The setting itself is nothing short of ingenious, as despite all being set on one bus ride you never once feel claustrophobic. Gondry chops and changes at a fast pace, as we don't spend very long on any particular group of characters at any given time, weaving in and out of conversations at a speed, disallowing any time to clock watch. The structure is also brilliantly composed, as slowly people start filtering off the bus at their own respective stops, as the bus gradually empties, until it's final stop where we are left with just two characters.

However, Gondry attempts to deviate away from the scenes on the bus, intertwining footage from elsewhere which feels entirely superfluous as the naturalistic approach works better when sticking within the boundaries of realism, yet he takes a surreal turn when we witness flashbacks, or focus on another character who isn't on the bus. However, it remains cleverly implemented as when we are shown such images, they tend to be presented as handheld footage, as though coming straight off a mobile phone, an effective technique as it makes it seem as though the characters on the bus are watching the scenes just as we are.

An issue to be had with this feature is the difficulties in relating to any of the characters, as it remains somewhat challenging to endear yourself towards the vast majority. For some of the kids, the bullying and intimidation of fellow pupils does seem overstated for dramatic effect, as I don't feel we are getting an entirely realistic portrayal of youth. The themes are generally rather well depicted – including that of young love, however it seems that in order to get a point across Gondry tends to be inclined to lean towards the extreme.

The We and the I remains an effective social study nonetheless, and a film that should appeal to a younger audience who can relate to such exploits, while also teaching a thing or two to their elders. This may feel like a mere school project for Gondry, but one he no doubt would have received a good mark in; a B+ at the very least.