Michel Gondry is a weird guy. Most people know him for the trippy, heart-wrenching Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or those iconic white-striped music videos for The White Stripes. But there’s this one movie he made back in 2012 that almost nobody talks about anymore. It’s called The We and the I. Honestly, it’s probably his most grounded work, which is saying a lot for a director who usually fills his frames with cardboard sets and stop-motion dreams.
The premise is basically a pressure cooker. It’s the last day of school at a Bronx high school. A bunch of kids pile onto the BX41 bus to head home. That’s it. That’s the whole movie. You’re stuck on a bus for an hour and a half with teenagers who are loud, mean, funny, and deeply insecure. It’s raw.
How The We and the I Actually Got Made
This wasn’t some Hollywood casting call. Gondry didn’t go to CAA to find the next Timothée Chalamet. Instead, he spent years—literally three years—working with real kids from The Point Community Development Center in the Hunts Point section of the Bronx. He ran workshops. He listened to their stories. He let them develop their own characters.
The result is something that feels less like a scripted drama and more like a documentary that accidentally caught a scripted plot breaking out. These kids aren't "actors" in the traditional sense, or at least they weren't when they started. They play versions of themselves, or versions of people they know. You can feel that authenticity in the way they talk over each other. It's messy. It’s loud.
The Shift from Group to Individual
The title The We and the I isn't just some artsy-fartsy name. It’s the entire thesis of the film. When the bus starts, it’s "The We." It’s a collective of bullies and jokers. They feed off each other’s energy. They harass an old lady. They make fun of a kid's shoes. It’s an aggressive, singular organism.
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But then, stop by stop, the bus empties.
As the group gets smaller, the "I" starts to emerge. You see the bully’s vulnerability once his hype-men get off at 149th Street. You see the quiet girl find her voice. It’s a brilliant structural trick. Gondry uses the physical route of the bus to peel back the layers of high school posturing. By the time the bus reaches the end of the line, the atmosphere has completely changed. It’s quiet. It’s reflective. It’s kind of beautiful, actually.
Why the Critics Were Split
When it premiered at Cannes in the Director's Fortnight, the reaction was all over the place. Some people hated it. They thought the kids were too obnoxious. And yeah, they are obnoxious. If you’ve ever been on a city bus at 3:00 PM when school lets out, you know exactly what that’s like. It’s a sensory assault.
The Hollywood Reporter called it "slight." Variety was a bit more generous but still seemed confused by the lack of Gondry’s signature visual effects. But that’s the point. The "special effects" here are the human interactions. There’s a scene involving a bicycle and a girl’s heartbreak that is filmed with such simple, devastating clarity that it hits harder than any of the memory-erasing visuals in Eternal Sunshine.
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- Realism: The dialogue isn't "movie" dialogue. It’s slang-heavy, repetitive, and occasionally nonsensical.
- Location: The BX41 isn't a set. They actually filmed on a moving bus in the Bronx. You can see the real streets, the real light, and the real grime.
- The Cast: Names like Michael Brodie, Teresa Lynn, and Raymond Rios. You might not know them, but in this movie, they are stars.
The Technical Side of Shooting on a Moving Bus
Shooting a feature film on a public transit route is a nightmare. Gondry and his cinematographer, Alex Disenhof, had to figure out how to rig cameras in a way that didn't feel intrusive but still captured the claustrophobia. They used small rigs. They stayed out of the way.
Most of the "plot" happens through iPhones and shared videos. In 2012, this was actually pretty forward-thinking. The We and the I captures that specific moment in time where social media started to become the primary way teenagers bullied or loved each other. Watching it now, in 2026, it feels like a time capsule. The phones are smaller, the apps look different, but the social dynamics? They haven't changed a bit.
Acknowledging the Flaws
Is it a perfect movie? No. It’s definitely too long. Some of the performances are a bit wooden because, again, these are non-professionals. And if you don't like teenagers, you are going to have a hard time sitting through the first forty minutes. It’s a test of patience. Gondry wants you to be annoyed so that the eventual payoff feels earned.
There’s a subplot about a girl named Teresa and her birthday party that feels a bit forced compared to the organic flow of the bus ride. Some viewers find the transition from the "We" to the "I" a little too telegraphed. But honestly, the ambition of the project outweighs those minor stumbles.
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Where to Find It and Why You Should Care
You won't find this on the front page of Netflix. It usually floats around on niche streaming services like MUBI or Kanopy. It’s a "small" film that feels huge because it tackles the universal terror of growing up and the masks we wear to survive.
If you’re a fan of Michel Gondry, you owe it to yourself to see his "unfiltered" side. There are no sheep in suits or houses made of clouds here. Just a bus, some kids, and the terrifying reality of the Bronx in the summertime.
Actionable Steps for Film Lovers
- Watch the BX41 route: If you're ever in New York, take the BX41. See the landscape Gondry was trying to capture. It gives the movie a whole new layer of context.
- Compare it to 'The Class' (Entre les murs): If you liked the raw, non-professional acting in The We and the I, check out Laurent Cantet’s 2008 film. It’s the French spiritual cousin to this movie.
- Look for the "Gondryisms": Even without big VFX, look for how he uses windows, reflections, and phone screens. He’s still a visual stylist, even when he’s being "real."
- Host a "Bus Movie" double feature: Pair this with Speed or Bus 174. It sounds weird, but seeing how different directors use the enclosed space of a bus is a great lesson in cinematography.
The We and the I serves as a reminder that the most interesting stories don't require a massive budget or a galaxy-spanning plot. Sometimes, they just require a MetroCard and a willingness to listen to the people sitting in the back of the bus. It's a film about the moments between the big moments. It's about how we lose ourselves in a crowd and how we find ourselves again once the crowd disappears at the next stop.
Practical Takeaway: If you’re looking to watch a film that challenges your patience but rewards your empathy, track down a copy of this movie. It’s an exercise in human observation that few directors would have the guts to attempt. Focus on the character of Michael—his arc is the heartbeat of the entire film and represents the most successful execution of Gondry's vision.