"Technically speaking, the procedure IS brain damage."

Rating: 10/10 (29 October 2004)

After repeat viewings, it's still difficult to understand if this movie is brilliant or a director's simplistic mind game. Lately though, I'll side with the former. What the movie does is make you think, think about what's going on in the film, and maybe even what's going on in your own life. Because ultimately, we are our memories, and without them, we are merely shells.
The disorienting camera angles during Joel Barish's (Jim Carrey) mind wipe procedure create an unsettling discomfort. Joel hears the voices of the technicians Stan (Mark Ruffalo) and Patrick (Elijah Wood) as Joel's breakup memory with Clementine (Kate Winslet) is being erased, and he furiously attempts to hang on and not let go. It's a torturous struggle as both the good and bad memories hold sway at different times.
What Joel, Clementine, Stan, Patrick, Mary and Dr. Mierzwiak all seek are best expressed in Clementine's own words - "...you'll remember me in the morning, and you'll come to me, and you'll tell me about us, we'll start over".
Probably more than anything, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is about starting over. The futility and frustration of life and relationships are set aside when love conquers petty disappointments, and you have someone who understands you can turn to. Focus on the memories.