Kaufman successfully strikes again

Rating: 8/10 (21 March 2004)

Charlie Kaufman has got to be the strangest person alive but thankfully he channels his energy into writing stories for films that are not only complicated to watch but difficult to explain. This story is about a shy and introverted man named Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) who one day meets an outgoing and extroverted woman named Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet). They end up having a relationship but one day it all goes wrong and they split up. Joel wants her back but discovers that she has had him erased from her memory. He finds out that a company called Lacuna is behind this and he decides that he also wants to go through the procedure and have Clementine erased from his own memory.
*****SPOILER ALERT*****
Joel meets Dr. Howard Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson) at Lacuna and starts the procedure with the help from his assistants Stan (Mark Ruffalo) and Patrick (Elijah Wood). A computer is hooked up to a helmet that Joel wears while asleep and a monitor points out specific areas of his brain that harbor memories of Clementine. While asleep his subconscious has second thoughts and decides that he doesn't want to forget her. Joel and his memories of Clementine try to hide in other memories but keep getting found until time runs out. Dr. Mierzwiak has a past with his nurse Mary (Kirsten Dunst) who's memory was erased and when she finds out she decides to send Joel and Clementine their files so that they know what has happened to them.

This film is directed by Michel Gondry who also helmed "Human Nature" that was written by Kaufman also. Most of the film is an assortment of scenes where Carrey and Winslet talk to each other about their relationship while the outer structure of his memory seems to be caving in around them. In one scene the two of them are in Joel's kitchen when he was four years old with his mother and then in the next shot they're at the beach where they supposedly met for the first time. This film could be described as an exercise in style but it's more about the script than the visuals and it works on both levels. Kaufman has this uncanny knack of writing about dysfunctional people and really showing how their thought process works. His stories dissect the inner workings of these characters and by the end of the film the viewer usually has a good understanding of these people. Like "Being John Malkovich" and "Adaptation" this is a film that requires your constant attention and it is a challenging viewing but that's what films are suppose to be like. Carrey again is showing that he can play serious roles even though he is still funny in certain scenes here and he's very good with this complex character. Winslet seems to be perfectly cast as the outgoing Clementine and she reminded me a little of Melanie Griffith in "Something Wild". In this world of contrived, shallow, and predictable Hollywood films Charlie Kaufman is a welcome addition. No, he's a godsend. I can't wait until this mad genius gives us more of his ideas and true film lovers (like myself) can view something interesting.