A bizarre, but beautiful tour de force

Rating: 9/10 (1 March 2012)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a surreal masterpiece dedicated to the fragility of human recollection. The film follows the bitter aftermath of a broken relationship, and the decision of the suffering couple to undergo a procedure to erase each other from their memories. However, as Joel's memories of Clementine begin to slip away from him, he realizes that he has made a grave mistake. This typical case of recognizing what one has only when they have lost it is not bizarre or innovative in itself, but the manner in which director Michel Gondry (The Science of Sleep, Be Kind Rewind) presents the material is everything from mind blowing to solemnly beautiful. The movie is comprised of countless flashes between Joel's fading recollections, and his present life. Due to this, the greater part of the film takes place within the character's own mind, giving it a dreamlike, surreal feeling. Eternal Sunshine is one part classic love story, and one part trance-like cinematography. It cannot be denied, however, that this movie is eccentric, almost to the point of bafflement. But perhaps this is the magic of it – that its sheer oddity and originality make it a film that viewers can either love or hate.