Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Directed by Michel Gondry.
Starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet.

In a Nutshell: A couple undergoes a procedure to erase each other from their memories.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, from the pen of Charlie Kaufman, is a unique work of narrative surrealism and a touching romance for our technological era. The film opens with two strangers Joel (Jim Carrey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet) meeting on a train where the two feel an unexplained spark, possibly déjà vu. In flashback, we see that the two were in fact a couple for roughly two years. However, a nasty fight led to Clementine erasing Joel from her memory “on a lark” through the medical firm Lacuna Inc. A hurt Joel decides he wants Clementine erased, though mid-process he begins to have doubts and tries holding onto the faintest memory of Clementine.

We enter into Joel’s subconscious and watch his relationship unfold in reverse order, with Clementine vanishing from sight. Joel relives and tries to alter his memories, trying to tuck Clementine into scene from his childhood. It makes for an inventive storytelling tool to explore the power of our perceptions. The good times appear far more vivid in Joel’s recollection, which constructs his own version of Clementine (who he thinks she was) to aid Joel in avoiding the memory wipe. Through the heartbreaking struggle, we can see the manner in which our personal recollections define our relationships and ourselves.

Such a twisty story needs its human core and the against-type casting of Carrey and Winslet weigh down the free-spinning illogic. Carrey is reined in and mannerism-free as a lovesick introvert still prone to awkward fumbling around girls. Less constrained is Winslet who turns Clementine into a bundle of aggressive spontaneity and barely concealed neurosis. Both are ill suited but the film identifies their union as a longing for companionship. The reunion of Joel and Clementine suggests that our stupid mistakes and the impassive dominance of technology cannot interrupt true love. We leave Joel and Clementine with optimism, hopeful that they will rebuild was has been destroyed. For all its disorientation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind cherishes our relationships and how they color our remembrances. Sometimes all we have left of our joy is our memory, and once that becomes lost, so do we.