“Blessed are the forgetful, for they get better even of their blunders” Mary, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Have you ever felt the urge to delete something, some memory, or even someone completely out of your head? Rated 8.3 over 10 on IMDb, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mindis a movie about the struggle of a young couple on their ways of erasing each other out of their memories. The movie plays with the notion of time and memories, showing the audience the reality of love and relationship. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind has an oddly interesting plot which is not mainstream or cheesy, a great cast of actors who nailed their roles, and beautiful cinematography with a great director.
A big plus about Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is how it begins with a beautiful story of an ordinary couple who then turn out not to be normal at all. The main couple is Joel Barrish and Clementine Kruczynski. While Joel is a timid and shy guy who is keen on words, Clementine is a vibrant and passionate girl who sometimes can be overboard and repulsive. Their different characteristics lead them to break up then make up repeatedly. The incident is when Clementine decided to delete Joel out of her memories. To get back at her, Joel also chooses to delete her. The story at first tells us how bad their relationship was, and we would nod along as Joel ended the relationship. However, as the movie proceeds, more loving memories and feelings are revealed. The movie shows how their relationship was formed and the reason why they were still together after these many years. As Joel struggles to save the memories, we realize that love is not something you can solve like a math equation. Rather than having a linear and mainstream love story with simple resolutions and cheesy romantic ending, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind does not mind being unconventional with the questions it brings toward the ending of the movie.
Along side the great plot, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind has a great cast of actors. Starring as Joel Barrish is Jim Carrey, a famous comedy star. However, unexpectedly, when he starred Joel, Jim gave out a completely different vibe in comparison to his previous roles in Ace Ventura or The Mask. Jim Carrey successfully portrays a man who was clumsy in love in the scene when Joel first meet Clementine, with his eyes movement and his crouching when Clementine approaches him. He also excels at expressing Joel’s passion for Clementine with every scene of Joel running to Clementine, or saying goodbye to her with sad loving eyes. However, the movie would not be able to achieve this much without the splendid acting of Kate Winslet as Clementine. It is quite unusual for Kate Winslet to play a role of a rebellious and childish young girl, but she did great. She delivers her role of Clementine fully with all of Clementine’s mood swings and extreme emotions. She goes from the crazy, outburst Clementine in the fight with Joel at the restaurant, to the lovely, bright Clementine who attracted Joel at first sight, and then to the wounded and broken Clementine who felt hopeless for their relationship. Her eyes are the highlight of her acting as they were even richer than the words and dialogue. Other actors also have great performances. Tom Wilkinson is a fit for his role as the respectful Dr Mierzwiak. Kirsten Dunst, as in her many previous roles, does a good job on being a naive and pitiful girl. It can be argued that Kirsten’s role is a bit of an eyesore with the mellow acting, but then she did exactly what her character was about, so this is understandable.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind has beautiful cinematography, editing, and storytelling. One of the first noticeable odd thing about Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is that the movie’s credit, unlike most movies, does not start until more than ten minutes into the movie. This serves as a plus but also a minus for the movie. The movie span is a rewind of their relationship and Joel’s process of having his memories about Clementine erased. However, the narrative is unique in a way that the movie does not follow a chronological flow. It jumps back and forth, somewhat similar to Moments (2000). However, the movie flows in not one but multiple layers of time. It takes a while to digest what is when, and which is where, but that is the beauty of this story. The shaky camera with the playful optical illusion effects reflect the chaotic roads of memories, which are more complex than just a flat map. The pace of the movie is in-sync with the emotions and feelings of the characters. It escalates rapidly with having more cut-in scenes and more noise effects. The director, Michel Gondry did a great job with arranging the small details that connect throughout the movie. For instance, throughout the movie, we notice that Clementine changed her hair color often. If you start watching the movie for more than once, you will figure out that there is a pattern to it. However, this is also a drawback, since not all audiences can comprehend the movie on their first watch. Thus, the movie is not made with the intention of pleasing the audiences but rather of making them think. The movie was made to provoke the audiences in away that make them come back and re-watch the movie.
Memories are important, but the person whom you have those memories with is important as well. Even knowing the result, the process of getting there is always worthwhile. If you agree with these statements, or have the slightest doubt, then Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a must for you to see. I thought of the movie as more than just a mere entertainment source and would gladly recommend it to any of my friends.
