Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Director: Michel Gondry

Story: Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry, Pierre Bismuth

Cast: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet

Music: Jon Brion

Time: 108 minutes

Bottom-line: A new look at love and heartbreak

I wish that I could wake up with amnesia

And forget about the stupid little things

Those lines are from the song Amnesia by the band 5 Seconds of Summer. It talks about having amnesia to selectively wipe out memories of a failed relationship. This film explores the same theme.

Following Minority Report, I went on a search for other interesting science fiction films, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind featured on several lists and polls. The sci-fi/romance/drama stars Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet in the lead roles, with Mark Ruffalo, Kirsten Dunst, Tom Wilkinson and Elijah Wood in the supporting roles.

Blessed are the forgetful, for they get the better even of their blunders.

Shy, introverted Joel Barish (Carrey) decides not to go to work one morning, and, following a gut instinct, takes a train to Montauk. On the train, he meets Clementine Kruczynski (Winslet) – an extroverted, wild girl, with freakish hair styles and colours. They begin a relationship despite their contrasting personas. We are then taken back in time, where Joel finds Clementine with another man, Patrick (Wood). He gets to know that she has erased Joel from her memory, thanks to a medical procedure by Doctor Howard (Wilkinson). Joel, seeking revenge, decides to do the same. Most of the film beyond takes place during the memory erasing process – as we join Joel in exploring his past – and related storylines of the technician, Stan (Ruffalo), Patrick, Howard, and his assistant, Mary (Dunst).

 

Carrey as Joel and Winslet as Clementine

There have been dozens of movies about relationships and dozens more about breakups; Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind combines both these themes, along with a touch of science, to give us in interesting concept to ponder about: what if we could selectively wipe out memory (“Technically speaking, this is brain damage”, says Doctor Howard)? Kaufman and Gondry put together their imagination to depict the working of a human mind – how does it remember people, what is the power of the subconscious, and is love powerful enough to overthrow science?

As Howard slowly starts to wipe out Clementine from Joel’s memory, we – along with Joel – revisit his memories in reverse. We start with their breakup, and go till the moment they first met, two years ago. En route, Joel decides not to go through with the procedure; he wants to savour the bits of happiness he shared with her. So, several weird phenomena start to happen, as Joel’s subconscious and his love for Clementine start to fight against the systematic procedure. As Joel struggles with his memories, the others around him – Howard, Mary, Patrick and Stan, start to explore their own love interests.

 

The quote behind the title of the film

The movie goes on to show that no matter how much science advances – to the extent of even being able to selectively erase bits of memory – love is always more powerful. In some ways, Inception has borrowed concepts from this film, but the 2004 film is something we can relate to better. Jim Carrey shows why he can be a good actor, and not just a comedian. From the happy-go-lucky chap, to the charming romantic, to the depressed lover, every role is performed authentic enough that we can put ourselves in that position. The same goes to Kate Winslet as well, but somehow, I don’t feel the Carrey-Winslet pair is that effective. The climax seems a bit odd; the last twist (with about 10 minutes left) is certainly unexpected, but what follows does not seem right; perhaps the screen time could have been extended a little more to create a better – and less abrupt – climax.

So, while many of you who have gone through breakups would be wondering what it would be like to “imagine it never happened” (easier said than done, right?), this film will surely be food for thought. The imaginative portrayal of the mind, and the blend of science and romance makes the film a special one.

My Rating: 3.5/5

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 93%