Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"

Michael Gondry, 2004

Charlie Kaufman, the screenwriter of the wonderfully bizarre film "Being John Malkovich," once again tackles the topic of estranged relationships, this time focusing on that of Joel, who is played to perfection by Jim Carrey, and Clementine, who is played by an excellent Kate Winslet. "Eternal Sunshine" has a strange premise; Clementine, an impulsive woman who shelves books at a bookstore, decides one day to erase all her memories with Joel so that if the two run into each other, she won't remember him at all. Joel, unforunately, is left confounded by this sudden change, and he decides to go to the doctor, played by the always-outstanding Tom Wilkinson, who performed the procedure on Clementine, and have the same technique applied to himself. But in the middle of the procedure, the technicians, who are just as unhappy as Joel currently is, get high, leaving Joel to linger "aberrantly" with his memories.

Kaufman uses this fun, science-fiction premise to explore all the nuances of Joel and Clementine's relationship, and for the rest of the film, we follow Joel who, stuck in his brain while the operation continues, tries to find ways to save his memories of Clementine, even while she is in the midst of being deleted. What results is a humorous and touching film about love that is much more engaging than sentimental trash like "The Notebook." I love the film's structure, which, with its disjointed editing, eccentric set design and camera-work, is depicted in the way that we recall our memories; that is, it is presented in a mostly subjective manner, from the point-of-view of Joel, with certain memories being given more significance than others.

Ultimately, this film is about people who regret the mistakes they have made, and who attempt to reconcile themselves with others. Is the film realistic? Not at all, at least on a superficial level. But I think that Kaufman and Gondry have perfectly conveyed the texture of the emotional ups-and-downs that are involved with most people's relationships.

Rating: 10

First Viewed: 7/22/08, on DVD
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