Although it's only May, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind looks like being one of the best films of the year. This clever and moving feature, written by Charlie Kaufman, is challenging, humorous and inspiring.
Rubber-faced Jim Carrey plays Joel, an ordinary office worker living a dull life. He wants to get back with a vibrant girl called Clementine (Kate Winslet), with whom his relationship ended badly. But when he sees Clementine again, she doesn't seem to know him any more. In fact, Clementine has had her memories of Joel erased. To forget the pain, Joel follows suit, but during the operation he realises he'd rather preserve his memories.
Although the film stars A-list Hollywood actors and is directed by music video veteran Michel Gondry, a lot of the attention the movie has gained has fallen on scriptwriter Kaufman. In Eternal Sunshine he continues his exploration of the human mind which started in Being John Malkovich. In that acclaimed movie the characters enter Malkovich's mind, while in Eternal Sunshine Joel enters his own memory.
Gondry's music video background explains his imaginative visuals, especially the scenes where Joel gets lost in his memory. Carrey gives one of his best performances. Letting go of his notorious comical gestures, he finds a subtler way of portraying how Joel is tormented by his relationship with Clementine.
The non-chronological narrative is challenging but Kaufman is not only good at bending our minds, he also hooks us emotionally to Joel's journey through his memory. The film makes you wonder if having sad memories deleted is necessarily the best solution to the irreversible past. After all, humans are made up of their memories. Without our memories and experiences, we are no longer who we are.
VERDICT: WE LOVE IT!
