Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - A Review

Rating: 10/10 (14 November 2018)

"Blessed are the forgetful, for they get the better even of their blunders." So goes the secondary label of the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, a rom-com sci-fi drama by Michel Gondry. This quirky, uniquely funny story uses elements of a psychological thriller and nonlinear narrative to explore the nature of memory and love.
Joel Barish, a broken man who crashes and burns over his ex-girlfriend, Clementine Kruczynski, finds out that she has erased him from her memory by hiring Lacuna Inc., a firm performing such brain damage procedures in their clients' sleep. Enraged, he decides to do the same to her, but only to hit the rock bottom reality of his persistent love for her midway through the procedure. How will he deal with the erasing Clementine in his sleep? How will he manage to keep her memory when he wakes up in the morning? What does it take to forget the past and start anew? Charlie Kaufman, known for his use of warped logic, gives the answer beautifully in a tale of love that lives but doesn't last.
The Academy Award winning surreal screenplay by Charlie Kaufman entangles and unentangles upon a multilayered story by Kaufman, Gondry and Pierre Bismuth. Ellen Kuras and her positively flimsy cinematography synchronize romantically with Jon Brion's Oscar winning soundtrack giving flavour to what Eternal Sunshine stands for.
Equally praiseworthy are the performances by all. Carrey and Winslet work magic and acquaint you to Joel and Clementine powerfully, supporting Kaufman's character foundation. There's a precision in the mechanism of the film as it unfolds and blends together all the performances giving rise to one of the greatest films of 21st century.
Interestingly, the pivotal character is that of Mary Svevo, the receptionist at Lacuna. Kirsten Dunst fulfills Mary's emotional portrayal effectively, stealing the screen from Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood playing Mary's colleagues Stan and Patrick and Tom Wilkinson as Mary's boss, Howard Mierzwiak. Proof is the title scene where Mary recites a quotation from 'Eloisa To Abelard' which is probably a scene that'll be remembered for years in the cinematic universe.
When the credits roll in, Eternal Sunshine ensures you leave the theatre with wet eyes and a bloomed heart. The movie talks about all the mess of an adult relationship with wisdom. It leaves you wondering whether the time of events matters in a relationship. And when all is said and done, we know how blessed one can be to share a bond like Joel and Clementine.