Synopsis

Misfit teenagers Daniel and Theo form an unlikely friendship during a difficult school year. As summer approaches, they decide to escape their unhappy home lives by building a tiny motorized house from scrap materials. Disguised as an ordinary shed, their homemade vehicle carries them across France on a funny, awkward, and increasingly imaginative journey toward independence, romance, and a better understanding of themselves.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film's original French title is "Microbe et Gasoil." The nicknames refer to Daniel's small stature and Theo's fascination with engines, fuel, and mechanical gadgets.

• The story is partly autobiographical. Michel Gondry has said that the first half draws heavily on his memories and experiences at age 14, while the later road-trip material becomes more fanciful. The character of Microbe is closely based on Gondry himself, while Gasoline combines traits from several of his school friends.

• Gondry and a childhood friend once planned to build a vehicle of their own, but never completed it. The film turns that unrealized adolescent idea into its central adventure.

• The boys' vehicle was conceived as a small car hidden beneath the appearance of a house. The disguise reflects the practical problem at the heart of the premise: they are too young to drive legally and hope passing police officers will mistake the vehicle for a stationary structure.

• The handmade vehicle uses a lawnmower motor, wooden boards, and other salvaged materials. Its improvised construction fits the film's deliberately tactile visual style.

• Much of the story is set in Versailles, where Gondry attended school. The ordinary suburban surroundings contrast with the boys' imaginative way of seeing the world.

• The film had its United States premiere at the 53rd New York Film Festival in 2015.

• The score was composed by Jean-Claude Vannier, the French arranger and composer known for his work with Serge Gainsbourg. Vannier received a Lumiere Award nomination for the film's music.