A Film About Love: 'Warts and All'

Rating: Null/10 (5 May 2004)

This film is a fantastic tale of love and friendship, beautifully structured to show the realism that love is not always perfect, but can exist 'warts and all'. It is a unique story of love that shows the flaws in a relationship, which are inevitable in a realistic world. It is a refreshing story that holds strength in its originality.
The film is written by, the talented Charlie Kaufman, (Being John Malkovich) who superbly tells the story of the relationship between Joel (Jim Carrey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet). The couple fall in love after a chance encounter on a beach, but things soon turn sour as they discover each others flaws, which leads Clementine to take drastic measures to medically erase all the memories she has of Joel. When Joel discovers this, he too undergoes the same process, and the film follows his battle to let go of his feelings for Clementine. The story is enchanting and captivating, as it delves into Joel's mind, which frantically tries to hide Clementine into areas of his mind that doctors cannot erase. The plot certainly seems far-fetched, but it is a refreshing and original piece of film, which seems to possess a magical quality that keeps you glued to the screen.
The original composition of the shots gives the film a hidden depth of imagination. At one point we see Joel and Clementine lying in bed, on a beach, surrounded by snow. It is a beautifully structured scene that has a dream-like quality that makes the cinematography so powerful.
Jim Carrey gives yet another great performance, following his successful hit, Bruce Almighty. Eternal Sunshine proves he has the ability to convey a credible character that does not focus on his comical capabilities. The intensity of his emotions for Clementine is clearly expressed by Carrey's captivating presence on screen. He dominates almost every scene, almost overshadowing other great talents, such as Kate Winslet. Winslet does give a convincing performance, portraying an unusual and quirky character. Her ever-changing hair colour adds to her unique persona. The combination of Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet seems to work very well on screen. They manage to show conviction of emotion that ensures the audience warms to the characters. The appearance of Kirsten Dunst, Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo and Tom Wilkinson adds to this films strong cast and do not fail to impress the audience.
The plot at times is complex, and perhaps is a film that is better appreciated the second time. The structure of the film does not follow a chronological order adding to the films uniqueness.
I thought this film was a breath of fresh air from the usual teen horror or American comedies we are so used to on our cinema screens. It combined a magical dreamlike quality with the harsh realities that doom a relationship. The love story between the two characters is captivating as we are drawn into Joel's mind, allowing us to see his internal battle with his feelings for Clementine. ­­­­­