A movie so good to be erased from memory

Rating: 10/10 (3 September 2005)

I really liked the idea of "Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind" although, unfortunately, I haven't yet seen other works of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. The premise of memory erasure/loss may have been done many times before, but what transpires in this film is an excellent idea, a great insight into the human essence of memory and emotions. The direction of Michael Gondry and the script themselves are great and the film is even more amazing when coupled with great acting from Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet.
Joel Barish (Carrey) discovers that his long-time girlfriend, Clementine (Winslet), has undergone an experimental procedure of the Lacuna Corporation headed by Dr. Howard Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson), in which all of her memory of Joel is removed, after the couple has tried for a long time to get their relationship working fluidly. Joel sets for revenge and decides to undergo the procedure as well, to erase his memories of Clementine.
At this point the film alternately takes place between reality and within Joel's mind as he follows his memories of Clementine backwards in time as each recent memory is replaced. However, once the process starts, Joel realizes he doesn't really want to forget Clementine, so he starts smuggling her away into other areas of his memory where she doesn't belong and that causes some changes about his memories as well.
Most stories about love try to present a good story and, for all their faults, always have decent intentions. But if the ultimate aim is the human essence of love, then a lot of these films failed. "Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind" does not fail in this regard, and it is justified by the touched feeling I got from watching it.
Charlie Kaufman is a sterling writer, if this be the basis for that. The direction is, as Michael Gondry has shown here, flawless and the music perfectly matches the camera flow and character movement. From its haunting introduction to the ebbing and flowing of the memory scenes, the cinematography and the music are so in tune with each other in giving the movie its brand of eccentricity.
Despite the somber tone of the movie, Carrey doesn't seem out of place here. Actually he is still a lot of fun to watch. His acting perfectly captures Joel being lost between reality and imagination - subtly shifting from the material world that is stored in his memory to vignettes of abstractions while trying to save Clementine from the process of having her erased permanently. Winslet has the natural beauty and charm as Clementine. The supporting cast of Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo, and Kirsten Dunst all impress, too.
Essentially, this movie offers one of the most stunningly inventive and intuitive glimpses at the human emotional nature and its resistance of fate that I have seen - a stunning portrayal of grief forged of a failed relationship and the abrupt ending of it. If this film is about anything, it is about someone about to go under, grabbing at the only life preserver a person can ever see - one's memories.
As I've said, the direction and acting extend this beyond mediocrity to excellence, the main actors especially allowing the many moments of reminiscing to speak for themselves. The mind is strength itself, and it is shown through the flashbacks and tweaks at reality. It is human mind and emotion depiction at its finest and that rarest of things - a movie so good to be erased from memory.