Michel Gondry Readies An Unusual Documentary. This Surprises You?

I'll be honest, when I think of Michel Gondry "real life" isn't the first thing that comes to mind, not with fantastical and sometimes surreal movies like "The Science of Sleep" and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" to his credit. But, three years after "Dave Chappelle's Block Party," the Puckish director is returning to documentary, he revealed to MTV News.

"I'm doing [a documentary] about my Auntie who has been a school teacher for 50 years," he said of the still untitled project. "It's amazing."

For Gondry, part of what makes the project "amazing" is being able to travel to locations that, for lack of a better way to put it, aren't there -- meaning they've changed, deteriorated, or just plain disappeared. It's a trip down memory lane reminiscent of "Eternal Sunshine," but one he gets to make not knowing how it will end, Gondry said.

"My aunt's an amazing woman. She's 80 years old. Most of the schools she taught in don't exist anymore but we went on location to them," he declared. "I like the idea of going somewhere with a camera and not knowing what you’re going to get."

Of course, the movie won't be all "real life," Gondry admitted. "We shot [my aunt] on film and [also] did some animation."