"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"

Title: "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"

MPAA Rating: R

Director: Michael Gondry
Producers: A. Bregman and S. Golin
Editing: Valdis Oskarsdottir
Composer: Jon Brion
Starring:
- Jim Carrey as Joel Barish
- Kate Winslet as Clementine Kruczynski

- Kirsten Dunst as Mary Svevo
- Mark Ruffalo as Stan Fink

- Elijah Wood as Patrick Wertz
- Tom Wilkinson as Howard Mierzwiak

Plot and Critical Review: Emotionally withdrawn Joel Barish and unhinged free spirit Clementine Kruczynski strike up a relationship on a Long Island Rail Road train from Montauk, New York. They are drawn to each other on account of their radically different personalities.

Although they apparently do not realize it at the time, Joel and Clementine are in fact former lovers, now separated after having spent two years together. After a nasty fight, Clementine hired the New York City firm Lacuna, Inc. to erase all her memories of their relationship. (The term "lacuna" means a gap or missing part; for instance, lacunar amnesia is a gap in one's memory about a specific event.) Upon discovering this, Joel is devastated and decides to undergo the procedure himself, a process that takes place while he sleeps.

Much of the film takes place in Joel's mind. As his memories are erased, Joel finds himself revisiting them in reverse. Upon seeing happier times of his relationship with Clementine from earlier in their relationship, he struggles to preserve at least some memory of her and his love for her. Despite his efforts, the memories are slowly erased, with the last memory of Clementine telling him: "Meet me in Montauk".

In separate but related story arcs occurring during Joel's memory erasure, the employees of Lacuna are revealed to be more than peripheral characters. Patrick, one of the Lacuna technicians performing the erasure, is dating Clementine while viewing Joel's memories, and copying Joel's moves to seduce her. Mary, the Lacuna receptionist, turns out to have had an affair with Dr. Howard Mierzwiak, the married doctor who heads the company—a relationship which she agreed to have erased from her memory when it was discovered by his wife. Once Mary learns this, she quits her job and steals the company's records, then sends them out to all clients of the company.

Joel and Clementine come upon their Lacuna records shortly after re-encountering each other on the train. They react with shock and bewilderment, given that they have no clear memory of having known each other, let alone having had a relationship and having had their memories erased. Joel tries to convince Clementine that they can start over, but Clementine states that it could end the same way. Joel accepts this, and they decide to attempt a relationship anyway, starting their life together anew.

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"Eternal Sunshine..." is both an enigma and something of a diamond in the rough. It's typically listed as a "romantic science fiction film", but it contains scenes/suggestions of fantasy, psychological intensity, and even time travel (through thoughts - not actual temporal displacement). It's hard to tell what this movie really is, but that's precisely why I (and so many others) have enjoyed it so deeply. Some films tell you up-front what they're about. "The Wild West" is probably going to be about cowboys, and "Comet Force 4000" will probably have something to do with space. Going in you know what to expect and, most of the time, you're probably going to feel alright about it. But here we're taken on quite the ride, even to the point where our sense of reality (within the film, that is) is questioned. Which way is up?! Are we moving forward in the story line? Backwards? Sideways?! It's dramatic, innovative, fun, and emotional.

Combined with an exceptional ensemble, tight editing, and truly inspiring direction, this is not only a "must-see", but a "must-see-over-and-over-and-over" until the heart of the movie is understood beyond the mental games it delightfully plays.

My Rating: 8/10

Content to Caution:

V-1 - No comment.
L-3 - Coarse language throughout.
DU-3 - One character is an alcoholic. Two characters smoke marijuana together.
RT-0 - No comment.
H/S-2.5 - Psychological Thriller, after all..
CH-2 - Sexual jokes are made often.
S/N-2.5 - Sex is implied in several scenes. Some scenes contain partial nudity and/or characters exposing themselves.

The "Reel Revelation": "A Reminder to Remember"

Let's try something a little different this time...

See you tomorrow - E.T.