'Tis better to have loved and lost...

Rating: 9/10 (10 April 2004)

...than to miss the meaning of this film. For everyone who has ever wished they could smear white-out over a broken heart, "Eternal Sunshine" is here to remind us that, for all the thorns the memories of a lost love may carry, they also embody the most worthwhile moments of our lives. In this age of computers and videotape and the science of brain chemistry, we have become accustomed to the notion that memory is readily created and destroyed, allowing "bad data" to be erased in order to allow for a fresh start. Sometimes, it might seem tempting to apply this concept to our own minds when the aches of sadness and longing threaten to turn into depression. But would you really want to, if it were possible? Our most profound experiences are what shape and enhance our being--and few experiences are more profound than the state of loving, or being in love. To delete parts of ourselves in order to relieve short-term pain (or even long-term regret) would undo our maturation as complete human beings--a fate ultimately far worse than learning to live with loss.
Through several different well-acted characters (most notably Joel and Clementine), this film communicates the importance of emotional context in our lives, and the way in which that context is integral to identity. The nonlinear presentation of the story, rather than being a gratuitous gimmick intended to catch the eye of the modern filmgoing generation, serves as both an effective and ultimately intriguing narrative device and an accurate metaphor for the subject of the film itself: the structure of human memory. Carrey is quite believable as a self-conscious introvert, Winslet even better as a free spirit with an odd sense of desperation about her; Dunst and Wood ultimately stand out in supporting roles. This might be the greatest filmmaking victory yet for Charlie Kaufman (who planted its seed amidst the orchids of "Adaptation," in a scene where one of his alter-egos [played by Nic Cage] recalls his memory of an unrequited love as a treasured possession that he would allow no one to take away--even the object of that love, a young woman who had openly held him in low esteem). Here, he delves much more deeply into the theme of love and its meaning to the lover, and creates a movie that, in DVD form, will undoubtedly find its way into the spiritual patch kit of millions of breakup victims, alongside mint chocolate chip ice-cream and the Tori Amos CD catalogue.
(Rating: nine out of ten.)