You'll love it so much that you will want to see this film more than once! :)

Rating: 10/10 (20 July 2007)

A lot of movies get made everyday, but only a few really affect us. One such movie is ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND. This film had such a huge impact on the audience and critics alike when it came out in the year 2004. Not just because of its story with a non-linear time-line, but also due to the fact that it is a warm-hearted original love story, and an unusual one at that. Taken from the lines of Alexander Pope's poem " Eloisa to Abelard," the title of this film is pretty intriguing. The movie begins with Joel Barish, played wonderfully by Jim Carrey, taking a train to Montauk, where he meets Clementine Kruczynski, who, is played by the beautiful and talented Kate Winslet. What is interesting about this film from the very beginning is that one realizes how different these characters are. These are characters that we would never associate these actors with. Who would have ever thought of Jim to be this dull, self-absorbed, shy guy, who always looked as if he were lost? And never in one's dream would one think of Kate as this feisty, impulsive woman, who is not only not one of those "nice people," but someone who is looking for her own peace of mind. The film revolves around its tag-line, "You can erase someone from your mind. Getting them out of your heart is another story!" If this interestingly bizarre story-line is not enough to draw you into watching this movie, the huge star power could. Along with Jim and Kate, Mark Ruffalo, Kirsten Dunst, Elijah Wood and Tom Wilkinson star in it.The technical aspects of the film are amazing. Though there are no major "character" creation needs, there are intricate details that add to the aesthetic beauty of the film. Small effects like the books disappearing in the bookshop need a special mention. The original song "Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime," is so very apt for the film. Beck has done a great job singing it. Jon Brion's score deserves a mention. And watch out for the two Hindi songs in the film! Kate Winslet is a delight to watch! With her beautiful self and her "colorful" hair! "Blue Ruin" goes so well with her. More importantly, this woman can act! She has, yet again, proved herself to not only being a pretty face with this difficult-to-perform role of a careless, unpredictable, adventurous woman. Jim Carrey is so full of life though his character lacks the basic joy of living in the film. He acts with great sensitivity and warmth banishing all the doubts that people have about whether he can really act! His presence is strongly felt. Michel Gondry, the director, had a very difficult job to do. With the plot getting more and more intricate by the minute, it is really a tough task to bring the movie home, which, by the way, he does beautifully! Most of the soul of the movie comes from its screenplay. The genius responsible for it is Charlie Kaufman. His style of handling surrealism is incredible. He has handled it earlier in his "Being John Malkovich." The eccentricity of this story, which is Kaufman's trademark, once again works excellently. His style of inter-weaving the various plots and giving them the needed history at the right points makes him eligible for the Oscar that he received. Michel Gondry, Charlie Kaufman and Pierre Bismuth, the writers, have made sure that the movie does not seem dry. They have written the story and the dialog, adding all the necessary elements to keep it more alive. Kaufman has also incorporated novel elements like in the train scene, the music is not played to fill up the gap during the silence between Joel and Clementine but is instead played when Joel and Clem talk and is paused when they pause. None of this goes unnoticed. This happened to increase the tension of the scene and their goal is achieved.The scenes like "Honey Moon on Ice" and the one where Joel goes to Clementine's, give the movie a romantic feel-good effect. Lines like, Joel: Constantly talking isn't necessarily communicating
Clementine: Are you NUTS? Joel: It's been suggested.
Joel: Valentine's Day is a holiday invented by greeting card companies to make people feel like crap
Joel: Are we like couples you see in restaurants? Are we the dining dead?
Joel: Sand is overrated. It's just tiny, little rocks -
give us the feel of a film with dark, play-with-words sort of humor, unlike the usual ones of Jim Carry where, it is more of the slapstick kind. Equally, some lines just make us go "awww!" for they are really adorable. The plot with Tom Wilkinson, Mark Ruffalo and Kisten Dunst compensate for the drama in the movie. And all the gadgets and instruments with fantasy and the surrealistic elements prove it to being a science fiction. This is a perfect mix of romance, comedy, drama and science fiction! Though it is colorful and flamboyant, it still ends up being so fragile and sensitive. Now that's rare! Surrealism could never feel this good! It is not one bit disturbing in the negative sense. The film makes so much sense to you that you find it hard to stop thinking about it for days. A must-see for sure! For the story, the direction, the screenplay, the actors and for the well deserved Oscar! You'll want to see this film more than once! :)