By John Corrado

The 2024 Hot Docs Film Festival runs from April 25th to May 5th in Toronto

Directed by Michel Gondry’s friend and longtime assistant François Nemeta, the documentary Michel Gondry, Do It Yourself provides a delightful retrospective of the French music video director turned filmmaker’s career, and a joyful ode to the creative process.

Nemeta offers a playful portrait of Gondry as an eccentric creative who fancies himself a magician or inventor like his hero, early film pioneer Georges Méliès. While Gondry got his start as the drummer for the French band Oui Oui, it was the stop-motion and experimentation with early visual effects that he used in the band’s videos that got him noticed by other artists, making him an in-demand director for music videos throughout the 1990s.

The film takes us through the main highlights of his career, including the famous music videos that he did for artists like Beck, Björk, Daft Punk, the White Stripes and Kylie Minogue (many of whom are also featured in interviews). The second part of Nemeta’s film focuses on Gondry’s film career, including the Oscar-winning Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind in 2004, with him directing Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet to astounding performances.

The documentary highlights how his work has retained a hand-made quality to it, including in quirky yet personal projects like The Science of Sleep and Be Kind Rewind. The film also touches on his playful rivalry with fellow ‘90s music video director turned acclaimed filmmaker Spike Jonze. Peppered with paper cutout-style animations, Michel Gondry, Do It Yourself is a creative and fun portrait that left me feeling inspired to make things.

Film Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)

Michel Gondry, Do It Yourself screens as part of the 2024 Hot Docs Film Festival, more information on tickets and showtimes can be found right here.