Dir. Michael Gondry, 2004, USA, 108 mins
Cast:
Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst, Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Wilkinson
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is the story of broken pair Joel (Carrey) and Clementine (Winslet). After discovering that Clementine has erased her memories of their relationship, Joel decides to do the same and enters a surreal world as he prepares to escape their time together.
As one might expect from Oscar nominated screenwriter Charlie Kaufmann, there is a hint of fantasy similar to that in Being John Malkovich and Adaptation. Nothing like anything from a Tolkien novel, but suggestion of a slightly twisted and parallel universe. In Being John Malkovich, we are shown a portal to a man's head, a situation that may never become a reality, but in Eternal Sunshine, we are given a perfectly plausible possibility. Instead of what one may expect, however, the element of memory erasure takes a supporting role in this story as we are forced against a window into the spiralling relationship between shy and "close-mouthed" Joel and loud, brash Clementine. As with John Malkovich the twists and turns are plenty, and in a movie this fantastically dense, expect anything.
Notably, perhaps the most dangerous decision by director Michael Gondry was the choice in casting of actors in ultimately opposite roles. Not since The Truman Show has Carrey played someone with hardly anything to say. This makes a welcome change from his usual high maintenance performances to a dumbed down 'normal' person. He isn't a lawyer or a television presenter, but someone that is more easy to relate to. Anyone wanting to see a typical Jim Carrey movie should be warned, but his performance is enjoyable enough for anyone. Winslet, on the other hand, an actress known for the stage and more quiet roles, has opted for a character with more personality than any other that has appeared on the silver screen for many years. Gondry has used this to his advantage, as not only the personality of Clementine becomes clear, but also Winslet becomes her with the ever changing hair colours and the alternate clothing. Both performances come as a surprising delight, and the director has extracted the most exuberant acting from everyone, including the excellent supporting cast (Wilkinson, Wood, Ruffalo and Dunst all on top form).
After you get past the excellent pre-credits sequence (probably the longest in history), we begin the adventure. Be warned that you really need to keep up with the pitch perfect cycle of fast paced movement. The dialogue and action are all kept in place by a superb job done by the director of cinematography as we catch a precisely aligned series of frames, which you may or may not have noticed towards the end of Being John Malkovich, but here it is blown up out of proportion. Like Being John Malkovich, where Diaz enters into Malkovich's sub-conscious, a series of opening and closing doors lead to an array of surreal and abstract memories (including a memory with a four-year old Joel).
Supposedly, if you have succeeded in keeping up with the plot, you would have thought that you would have come to the end of a brilliant story. But this story doesn't end, and even as the credits roll it feels as though it should continue. Which in a way leaves the audience in purgatory. Even the most confusing of stories such as this should always leave an impression, but the imprint Eternal Sunshine leaves could be something you would easily forget, and it is far too good to want to do that.
Like Being John Malkovich and Adaptation, Kaufman has succeeded in giving us a story with an interesting plot, full of fantasy and intrigue, a tale pumped with quirky characters and real human emotions. However, Kaufman always ends up staying on the same level, and never manages break forward. This movie has proved Carrey can make the jump from wacky comedian to serious actor, if confusing and frustrating at times.
Matthew Clarke
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