post-modernism in cinema

Rating: 10/10 (13 July 2005)

"VIRUSED" CINEMA
For 30 years ago, the cinema was "virused" by a new current of movies. Some of us called them as postmodern movies (by the growing of the sens of the already existent concept), others  surrealist movies (seen them as adventure of the imagination). These movies are distinguished from other types of movie by deconstruction of our preconceptions and/or by construction of others for a new vision of current reality. It seams that the good way to describe better these kind of movies is to "catalogue" as "weird" because we are introduced in a world strange to us, perceiving socio-cultural values & norms suggested by director and adapted to the reality from our days.
I would like to invite you to be part of a love story created by Charlie Kaufman (screenplay) and miss-en-scene by Michel Gondry (director) in the movie - "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless of Mind"  in a new vision, absolute originally postmodern.
The post-modernism could be consider as a virus which destroys anything is considered conventionally, making his presence when you at least expected and in a variety ways. This current lives in detail, but you can understand and combat it only if you know/have the "soft" of our society.
The first sign of virus appears in the title of the movie  by keeping with difficulty in mind this title, it is too big  continuing his itinerary in the movie's theme: by the reverse rewinding of relationship between Joel (Jim Carrey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet) by flashback during the memories are deleted from Joel's mind by Lacuna team (company specialized in erasing memory).
The next victim is the subject of the movie becoming totally weird and complicated  in first credits, there is presented naturally the beginning of a relationship between Joel and Clementine until to the dramatic moment of erasing memory of the girl from his mind. When Joel found out, he was completely overwhelmed with grief and the pain ordered him to do the same thing. When Joel is submitted to the erasure memory procedure, the tumultuously love story rewinds in front of our eyes, thus becoming witnesses of attractive and captivating memories. These moments are forgotten in order to reappear moments full of tenderness and optimism, causing Joel to fall in love again of Clementine, even if he knows he can't stay with her anymore, trying to hide memories with her in the most his humility memories of childhood. The relationship begins with boring moments when two persons usually passed through and it finishes with those moments from the beginning when they felt attractive on each other, in order to start to be together again and to know how the relation is going on.
The movie was achieved by using very little special and artificial technicals, being approach to a documentary (movie). There were used simple effects (from the beginning of cinema), optic illusions etc. the memories were created from small parts, fragments, impressions, the scenes and the characters being combined in a impressionist way. The physic disappear of Joel's tangible memories were achieved in a practical way, often through removing of some pieces from decor.
Willing everything to seam much real and gripping, the director Michel Gondry decided not to be so important Lacuna company which used special equipment of erasing memory  another postmodern element  in order not seam a SF movie.
The time is affected by the devision in 2 simultaneously temporal axis: all secondary characters live their little stories which happened all of its in one night unlike the story of Joel and Clementine which goes on during 2 years. The first axis goes on the future and the second to past.
Script, production/direction, cutting, variety of the scenes etc and performance of the actors help us to perceive the value of the memories full of suffering and also of the great memories of a love story.