Forget Me NOT!

Rating: 9/10 (1 April 2004)

'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' is a jewel, or an orchid - a rare, precious find to be kept and cherished (or nourished). It is a film more akin to a small, adventurous and daring European production then to a major Hollywood release. The film seems to stem its influences mostly from two brilliant, young Spanish directors Alejandro Amenábar and Julio Medem. Conceptually, its slight romantic Sci-Fi blend recalls Amenábar's bravura tour de force 'Open Your Eyes' (aka 'Vanilla Sky'). Its elliptical story telling, its flight of fancy is Julio Medem's trademark ('Sex and Lucia','Tierra'). This is in no way to diminish the film's authenticity, creativity and originality. In no way. 'Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind' is a fresh, innovative piece of work that we have grown to crave in the barren, fruitless landscape of Hollywood cookie-cutter movies.
It is just the movie one would expect from the production companies named Blue Ruin, This Is That Productions, Anonymous Content - companies that have treated us with this small but remarkable movie.
The movie is a creative pinnacle in writer Charlie Kaufman's ('Being John Malcovich', 'Adaptation') career, and pushes him to the forefront of creative Hollywood.
'Adaptation' was to be all about the beauty, about the mystic of flowers, namely orchids. In it, Charlie Kaufman agonizes to find ways of adopting Susan Orlean's plot less book into a successful script without the help of Hollywood's screenplay guru Robert McKee's Ten Commandments. Halfway through the movie, Charlie gives in, attends one of McKee's writing seminars, adopts his formulas (conflict is clearly defined, a gun is introduced, an obligatory chase scene takes place, etc) and Charlie finally finishes his story. Unfortunately, it was not the story that we were (mis) led to expect for most of the movie. What was not achieved in 'Adaptation', creatively speaking, was brilliantly pulled off in 'Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind'. With it, and in it, Charlie Kaufman finally finds her - his 'Ghost Orchid'! He also finds a niche in Hollywood entirely of his own - a rare accomplishment indeed!
Jim Carrey is a perfect cast. In the aftermath, it is hard to imagine anyone else playing an introverted, lonely, and worn-looking Joel Barish. His manic energy subdued, his mannerism toned down, his trademark zaniness nowhere to be found, Here he completely reinvents himself. Kate Winslet, in another perfect cast, plays Clementine, a free-spirited, bohemian young woman who storms into Joel's life. Opposites attract, but there are thorns on the road to Happiness. When the going gets tough, you go for a radical solution. Enters Lacuna, a Memory Erasure Institute. The main thrust of the story is when Joel, in the middle of his treatment to permanently erase memories of Clementine, decides that he somehow wants some of his memories preserved.
That the movie skillfully zigzags through time and alternate realities is much to the credit of the French movie director Michel Gondry. A veteran music video director, he turns out to have been ideally suited to capture film's quirky, offbeat sensibilities.
The film's rare flow is the bizarre characterization of Lacuna's employees, otherwise expertly played by Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood and Kirsten Dunst. If Charlie Kaufman succeeded in subduing his early screen writing eccentricities (the way Jim Carrey did with his acting), the film would have been quite a bit more accomplished and far more acceptable to wider audiences.
'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' is an old-fashioned romance, infused with Generation X sensibilities and artificial/alternate reality special effects. It is, in essence, boy-meets-girl, boy-looses-girl and tries to get her back, time-honored formula with soft Sci-Fi axis the movie whirls around. The film is more likely to appeal to VH1 than to MTV audiences. And it is very likely to have a substantial foreign success.
Way to go, Charlie! Bravo Gondry!