Movie Review: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Charlie Kaufman is at it again. You may not know him by name, by you probably know him by reputation. He's the quirky writer who penned Being John Malkovich (which I've not seen) and Adaptation (which I have seen, and just adored). Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind both lives up to his reputation and expands on it. Those are, need you ask, good things.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a quote from a poem by Alexander Pope. It seems appropriate after Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) is cut loose by his girlfriend, Clementine Krucyznski (Kate Winslet) and decides to erase her from his memory. With a team (Elijah Wood, Kirsten Dunst, and Mark Ruffalo) led by Dr. Howard Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson), Joel prepares to forget everything he ever knew about and experienced with the girl he loves. But once the memory-erasing procedure is underway, he begins to realize that there are things he wants to remember after all.

Jim Carrey, who is a brilliant comedian, is also a very capable dramatic actor. Although Eternal Sunshine does have a few moments of mild humor, there's scarcely a funny face or bizarre body contortion from Carrey. His subtlety is perfect for the role, and very well executed. I've chastised Kate Winslet in the past for some mediocre acting (although her work in Titanic was quite good, her turn in The Life of David Gale was adequate at best), she's award-worthy as the very odd girl Joel loves and loses. The remainder of the cast is also good, most particularly the spacy Kirsten Dunst.

But there are two other stars vying for screen time in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and that's Kaufman's screenplay and some truly innovative direction and cinematography. The camera work is truly amazing not in its sheer scope or beauty the way you see in some movies, but rather in its slightly skewed reality and the detailed depiction it manages to get of people's lives seen in small bits and pieces of fading memory. Superb editing only adds to the feel engendered by camera technique and creative perspectives. A lack of special effects also greatly enhances the film's visual appeal - nearly all of the "effects" you see onscreen are either mere camera effects or actual illusion-type "magic."

If you can't handle the surreal, and you're not prepared to have your story told in a convoluted way, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is not for you. But if you liked Adaptation, or (believe it or not) Memento, you're going to find Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind unforgettable.

FAMILY SUITABILITY: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is rated R, ostensibly for language, some drugs, and sexual content. Frankly, I'm at a loss as to why the film isn't a PG-13. That being said, it is a bit odd, and such a different type of film that I suspect those 16 and under will find all but impossible to appreciate anyway. Real film fans, Charlie Kaufman afficianados, and those who just like to see something different once in awhile, however, will be glad they bought a ticket for this one.