'...Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd'

Rating: Null/10 (11 March 2010)

Charlie Kaufman and Michel Gondry collaborate to make what has become an all time favourite film of mine. Every time I see his movie I wonder what a fascinating mind Kaufman must have. How does he think up such original amazing stories? 'Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind' tells the love story of two people, a story that ends in a bizarre way only to begin thereafter in an unusual way. Joel and Clementine couldn't be more different from one another but I'm a believer that opposites attract and so starts a complicated relationship only to end and start again. It won't be right of me to give away much of the story (I probably have said too much already).
The film is poignant as it raises so many questions as it presents complex themes about relationships, heartbreak, whether it's good to have been in a relationship that had its ups and downs than to not have been in that relationship at all, whether erasing the memory of it solves everything. Each theme is handled sensibly. Gondry tells the story in a whimsically lyrical fashion peeling its subtle layers as it develops. To give us company there's the marvelous eclectic soundtrack.
I also liked how the editing was done in a very raw choppy fashion which is just how our memories are. We usually jump from one memory to another when we're remembering, thinking, fantasizing, and whatever. That's the feel we get here. The lighting is also dulled down due to the dark theme.
Both Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet deliver remarkable performances, completely different from what they have ever done before. There performances are so natural that it is easy to recognize Joel and Clementine. Carrey and Winslet are solidly supported by Tom Wilkinson, Mark Ruffalo, Kirsten Dunst, Jane Adams and David Cross.
I couldn't recommend 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' enough. Whether one likes it or not, I can at least say that it will be a different movie experience from what the viewer is acquainted with. For me the title, derived from Alexander Pope's poem, is one of the best movie titles. What a beautiful name of a spellbinding movie!