Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind by B.D.Kuchera

Rating: 10/10 (2 July 2006)

I'm not a critic, I'm just a guy who loves great cinema.
"Eternal Sunshine" as I'll call it in order for you to actually remember the title, is somewhat of a mix of dream-state, and flat out getto-fantasy. It's a very dark film that has some beautiful truths in it about love, memories, and reality itself.
Jim Carrey was of course the perfect choice for this film, and he's actually able to pull off a striking performance. I had only wished that he had been nominated for Best Actor, which he certainly deserved to be nominated for. It seems that the Academy can't seem to let Jim get beyond his Jerry Lewis phase into fine acting. Look at "Man on the Moon" sometime and see that both films left Jim excluded from his rightful place as a terrific actor.
But ultimately, Jim is stretched by brilliant Michel Gondry directing, and a story that only Charlie Kaufman could have pulled off. This strange marriage between Carrey, Gondry, and Kaufman made for one of the most bizarre mixes since "Brazil". Across the board, this film is strange, but it makes complete sense as long as you stick with it. And although some of the sequences are downright scary, moody, and insane, the truth of a man searching for love and himself turns the film (for those who wait) into one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen.
I don't know much about anyone that worked on this film, other than to say that I know Mr. Carrey's work, as well as Gondry having worked on music videos for Bjork. That said, I went into the film planning to see something with that Carry touch, and walked out seeing much more than I expected. It was clear to me that Gondry had his hands full with Carrey, but also that all of the people involved seemed to know that this was a film that would push the limits of what an audience could take. For myself however, I feel that I was designed to be pushed, and felt comport from a collection of artists that didn't seem to "give a damn". Way to go for all of them! In the end, it's clear that people went with their gut, and that Gondry's hand was so strong on this wild picture, that no one would ever have guessed it was even possible. This film is the one and only film I have seen to date where I literally sat in certain sequences and said to myself, "How did they do that?" That's saying a lot for someone that reads effects magazines and has made several films himself.
I have to say that if you haven't seen the film, get it, sit back, don't see it when you're tired (for God's sake), and get ready for a mind-screw not unlike that of Chris Nolan's "Memento". It's totally worth messing with your own head, I promise.
B.D.Kuchera