The most original, imaginative and scintillating film I've ever seen

Rating: 10/10 (24 November 2007)

First of all, reviews of the film are quite deceiving, and stand as blatant misrepresentations of its genre. On the cover of my copy it says "A smart, sexy and seriously funny comedy!" This is simply not true. To label Eternal Sunshine as a "funny comedy" is to completely misunderstand the underlying message of Charlie Kaufman and Michel Gondry's masterpiece. While certain aspects of the film are indeed funny, the genre of "comedy" is the furthest thing from an accurate label. Finding a place to begin describing my reaction to Eternal Sunshine is a very tough thing to do, but I'll try to provide the reader with an honest attempt at a coherent rant about my love for this film. The intent of this post is not to provide a frame by frame summary. Instead, I want to give you my reactions to it. A summary simply does not do it justice. Eternal Sunshine is thought provoking and expressive. It's something you have to experience for yourself:
As the title of my post states, Michel Gondry, Charlie Kaufman and Pierre Bismuth have created the most original and scintillating film I have ever seen. Nothing in this film fails to deliver, especially in terms of creativity, plot association, narrative structure, acting, direction and writing. As he has proved previously, Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation) possesses the ability to produce expressive and emotional screen writing. Joel and Clementine (Carrey, Winslet) are exceptionally real characters with real problems, and Kaufman brings these problems to light through his remarkably "real" script. The film touches your imaginative subconscious directly to the bone. The films' beauty is mystifying, and it generates a truly remarkable feeling of personal, creative sincerity. Michel Gondry has captured some of the most beautiful images I have ever seen on camera (the big bed on the snow covered beach is a great example). It is my feeling that Eternal Sunshine would not have had the same impression on me if Michel had not directed it. His creative instinct is the best the film industry has to offer (see The Science of Sleep), and no one other than Michel could have captured the story with such creativity- a creativity the project was intended to provide from as far back as the drawing board. His directional methods are practical yet unique. 90% of what you see in Eternal Sunshine is done in front of the camera. The characters move in and out of rooms to create a discontinuity that is very effective as it pertains to the plot (If you are reading this after viewing the film, you know what I'm referring to). The scene where Joel is hiding under his mothers table is done in front of the camera as well. No CGI and no green screen. The set is altered to give the illusion that Joel as an adult is proportionate to his height as a child.
Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet give stellar performances. They both execute Kaufman's script exceptionally well. Tom Wilkinson and Mark Ruffalo never fail to deliver, and both give great supporting performances. However, Kirsten Dunst lacks talent in my opinion. Her scene with Wilkinson in Joels' apartment is a bit too much. Eternal Sunshine is more of an artistic representation of film than it is film in the traditional sense, and that is why I find it so beautiful. If you're an imaginative person, and love finding unique, creative expression through film, then you are certain to love this one. But, what makes it even more exceptional is the fact that it is NOT strictly an artistic representation. In a traditional sense, the narrative is deep. It twists and turns while constantly providing uncertainty to narrative tension.
As I've said before, Eternal Sunshine taps into the imaginative and creative subconscious like nothing I've ever seen. Its portrayal of love and love lost is executed beautifully through Michel Gondry's direction and Charlie Kaufman's screen writing. The film is a vivid portrayal of human nature, and why we love who we love. The films' ability to weave artistic imagination with substantive narrative action is truly remarkable. As a true film lover, I stand firm in my opinion that Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind is the best film I have ever seen.