"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"
Simply put, Joel (Jim Carrey) and Clementine (Kate
Winslet) met, courted and fell in love. But, when
their romance hits rocky shoals, the free-spirited
Clem leaves Joel but cannot deal with the bad memories
of him. Unknown to her former soul mate, she undergoes
an experimental procedure that will erase all traces
of Joel from her mind. When he finds out about her
plans Joel becomes angry and wants only to strike
back. He seeks out the same doctor, Dr. Mierswiak (Tom
Wilkinson), and asks to have Clementine erased from
his mind. But, when the procedure gets under way, Joel
has second thoughts and tries to hide his memories of
his beloved from the relentless mind probes in
"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind."
On the surface, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless
Mind" can be construed as a science fiction-oriented
film about technology running rampant. The tale of
controlled memory management is rife for sci-fi
development. But, the story by Charlie Kaufman, who
has created a signature for the offbeat and bizarre
with "Being John Malkovich" and the Oscar-nom'd
"Adaptation" scripts, delves into a fantastical and
romantic world of love lost and found and lost
and...found.
I don't think that I want to tell much about the
complicated story, a fugitive's tale of a man on the
run with the beautiful heroine. The charm and
intellectual stimulation of Kaufman's innovative,
original script is felt in the chase as Joel undergoes
"the procedure" at the hands of the less than
attentive mind erasing specialist, Stan (Mark
Ruffalo), and his preoccupied assistant, Patrick
(Elijah Wood). Complicating things is the arrival of
Dr. Mierswiak's flaky assistant, Mary (Kirsten Dunst),
who is ready to party hardy while Stan tries to
administer treatment in an alcohol and reefer induced
haze, requiring the intervention, finally, of the good
doctor.
Rubber-faced comic actor Jim Carrey plays it straight
as the introspective and shy Joel Barish. Even when he
is in love Joel has the look of a man shouldering a
great burden. Carrey garners sympathy as his character
tries to get back the memories that mean so much to
him. Kate Winslet gives her free spirited Clementine
the right spin as she falls for Joel but becomes
increasingly disillusioned as conflict grows between
them and she initiates the memory wipe. The principle
supporting cast are background players that director
Michel Gondry uses for comic relief and the catalyst
for Joel's race against erasure.
The fantasy romance element of "Eternal Sunshine of
the Spotless Mind" is the most compelling part of the
film. Scribe Kaufman weaves his story like a fine
piece of cloth that wraps around the viewer's head and
stays there. The writer has always shown a talent for
the bizarre and his latest shows maturity in its
complexity. There is darkness and light to his story
as the romance between Joel and Clementine first
flourishes, then deteriorates into near bitterness
and, finally, comes full circle. It is Paradise found,
lost and found, again.
Helmer Gondry works in unison with Kaufman in creating
the fantasy world at the center of "Eternal...." It is a
tight, dark envisioning that requires the viewer to
pay close attention. This is the kind of film that
warrants repeated viewings just to discover the nuance
and subtlety of Kaufman's story. I give it an A-.
For more Reeling reviews visit www.reelingreviews.com
robin@reelingreviews.com
laura@reelingreviews.com
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X-Language: en
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X-RT-RatingText: A-
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