Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind DVD > Reviews > Love Lost?

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Loved it
Story	Outstanding
Characters / Performances	Outstanding
Special Effects	Outstanding
How does it compare to similar films?	Outstanding

Advantages:	Touching love story with excellent performances from Carrey and Winslet told in a very visual style
Disadvantages:	Occasionally has scenes that feel unfocused and repetitive

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

If you're looking for the perfect antidote to formulaic romantic comedies that are so sickly sweet that they leave you feeling physically ill, then "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" could be for you. Written by the man responsible for "Being John Malkovich" and "Adaptation" the film was never going to be a by the numbers romance. In fact, this is the sort of film that will melt your heart whilst simultaneously screwing with your brain - and to my mind that is wonderfully refreshing.

Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) and Clementine Krcuzynski (Kate Winslet) are like chalk and cheese. He is shy and reclusive and she is a loud and brash - even her hair screams her presence as it shifts from red, blue and green. Until recently they lived together, but once they finished Clem decided to remove Joel from her memory. After investing in the services of Lacuna Inc she blanks him at every turn; leading him to confront its consultant Dr Howard Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson) at his shabby office. He decides to undergo the treatment, but only realises the price of losing the good memories when it's all too late. Soon the hunt is on - can Joel rescue any of his memories and what effect does the drunken antics of Patrick (Elijah Wood), Stan (Mark Ruffalo) and his girlfriend, Mary (Kirstin Dunst) have on his attempts?

The first thing that should be mentioned about "Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is that the structure of the film is one of the elements which really makes this film look and feel distinctive. In this instance Charlie Kaufman shares his writing credits with Michael Gondry, who first started his career directing adverts (such as the Smirnoff advert which beat the "Matrix" in using bullet time) and music videos. I assume that Gondry's input has been in visualising how the script's complicated structure would actually work - something that Kaufman has admitted was a time consuming task.

Like Christopher Nolan's "Memento", Joel's memories are presented non-linearly with the demise of their relationship being presented first. Cleverly, Kaufman and Gondry do not stick to a formula, and hold back the most important details to maintain interest. The majority of the plot is told from Joel's perspective through his mind and sub-conscious. This means that several different plot strands can be going on inside one scene. The most complicated of which involves the Lacuna Inc staff's conversations seeping through to Joel, along with Joel's memories and his subconscious all effecting the events on screen. Potentially this could be very confusing, but as Joel gets a handle on what is happening, so do we.

None of this could work without Gondry's visual flair. Scenes meld into each other in a satisfying way creating strong images. For instance the movement from a scene in bed to one on the beach has Clem and Joel lying in the bed on the beach. As they move away from the bed, it disappears. Admittedly, some of the more satisfying shifts are the most subtle. For instance, a real favourite of mine took Joel from a library through a doorway into a friend's house - as the light switched off, the library disappeared.

In itself this does create a few weaknesses with the structure of the film. Obviously some sections have been so carefully story-boarded at the writing stage that they have caused problems with the editing process. It's much harder to chop out a superfluous or repetitive scene if cutting it out will result in the well planned fluidity of the imagery being disrupted. There is also a feeling that some of the Lacuna Inc plot may be needlessly included to pad the film, create added comedy or Kaufman-style confusion. Reassuringly these deviations do eventually come together, although arguably a little more focus might have made the film feel stronger.

The biggest recommendation I can give for Carrey's performance in this film is that I normally loathe him with a passion. For me, the continual gurning and over-exaggeration in the majority of his comedy films leave me cold. Trying too hard for me is a weakness in a comedian, and previous to this film "The Truman Show" was the only film in which I could say it felt like he fulfilled his potential - one which he surpasses here. Carrey's face when relaxed seems to display emotion exceptionally well, with pain and yearning being subtly displayed. Sensibly either Gondry or Carrey have allowed the situations to create the majority of the comedy letting Joel's dry wit and surreal sense of humour do the talking. Although we do see the film through Joel's eyes and should often sympathise with him, there are real moments of emotion where we can see why his actions helped the relationship decay.

Likewise Winslet also plays Clem's volatility with a viciousness that makes us understand the situation so well. The flip side of this is the spontaneity and kookiness which makes Clem attractive and Winslet's performance so different to the majority of her work. On paper the romance between this pair might seem unlikely, but in reality it feels very natural. Their loving moments are different enough that they create a real feeling of warmth that is deeply touching - thankfully nothing like Winslet's previous vomit-inducing pairing in "Titanic".

The Lacuna Inc staff also make for enjoyable viewing. It is wonderful to see Wilkinson doing so well across the pond with this well pitched performance as the sober doctor. Dunst is also good as the over-enthusiastic Mary; although at times I was left to wonder if a little lacked between her and the pleasantly strange Ruffalo. Post Lord of the Rings, its also good to see that Elijah Wood is being cast, and is believable, as something other than a squeaky clean character.

Before seeing "Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" I was a little unsure of whether I would like the film. Personally I was disappointed with "Adaptation", which I felt lacked a cohesive ending, and concerned about Carrey's involvement. Although the pace and focus occasionally let the film down, it is a film that comes thoroughly recommended. It’s a deeply touching and unsentimental love story told in a wonderfully visual style; which also manages to treat the audience intelligently and raise a few interesting questions, including whether it is better to have loved and lost - or remember loving - than never to have loved at all.

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"How happy is the blameless Vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot:
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray'r accepted and each wish resign'd"

- Epistle of Eloisa to Abelard by Alexander Pope where Eloisa envies the virgins who have no memories of passion to torment them.