A fantastic, in-depth and though provoking film. One of the best romantic movies of the last decade.

Rating: 10/10 (5 July 2014)

Eternal Sunshine of the spotless mind is a love story about two lovers who undergo a procedure to erase each other from one another's memories, but when they meet after their memory is gone, there is something strange still drawing them together and it is also during that memory wipe that they realize how precious their relationship really was.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is one of those films where you have to pay close attention to the scenes and dialog because even the smallest bit of dialog is important in this film. Because otherwise you will be confused in your initial viewing and will soon be asking yourself what in the world is going on. This film requires close attention in the initial viewing or multiple viewings in order to fully understand it and appreciate it for what it truly is.
The film is not your basic love story, it is unique and sort of bizarre at the same time, and while it is not a suspense movie, it is filled with several shocking moments and twists, which will only increase your interest in the movie and the more you will be intrigued by it. The narrative part of the love story is also told in a reverse chronological order, which starts from the moment the lovers broke up and ends when they first met. While the present scenes are told in a normal order, the film constantantly switches back and forth between the two which may create some confusion, another one of the reasons that this film requires close attention, at first you will probably be confused about what you are seeing is the present or the past, but as the film will progress you will be able to tell them apart. The way the Narrative is similar to Mememto which also followed a reverse chronological order of storytelling. The storytelling is clever and interesting and only makes the film better and it's twists more shocking and intriguing.
Acting wise, Jim Carrey is in Truman Show mode, or probably the most serious he has ever been in a film, this is probably the most serious role he has ever done, and he shines in his role as Joel Barish and is completely into his character. Kate Winslet also performs excellently well, and her character development in both the dream sequence and the present sequence is done extremely well. The supporting cast did not get that much screen time but they are performed their roles well, Kirsten Durst and Mark Ruffalo are good but the scenes between them in the apartment are kind of drawn out and I could have done without a few of them, but Elijah Wood is really great in his role as Patrick and scenes between him and Clementine are also interesting.
The ending is also great because it leaves it completely up to the viewer to interpret what will happen next and the events that led up to the ending were also very interesting and intriguing. The soundtrack is also great and suits most of the scenes it is being played in, the opening and closing credits song is also fantastic and also wonderfully portrays the relationship between Clementine and Joel. The ice setting was not something i was fond of before watching the film but it is handled extremely well here, with the scene of Clementine and Joel laying on ice being one of the most touching and memorable moments of this film.
Overall, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, is a touching, in-depth and intriguing love story with such great plot, settings, performances and memorable moments that I can watch this film over and over again and never get bored. However you may need to watch this film multiple times to fully understand it's plot and the message it is trying to convey and appreciate it for what it truly is.
Rating: 9.5/10