Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Directed by Michel Gondry.

Forget the love stories you have seen in films, Eternal Sunshine of the Spottless Mind, directed by the acclaimed French director Michel Gondry (Human Nature) and written by the talented screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation) is one of the most touching, stylistically original and bitter sweet romantic movies of our times.

This is the story of Joel (Jim Carrey) who is suffering through the end of a two-year old relationship with Clementine (Kate Winlset) and finds out that she erases him from her memory thanks to Lacuna Inc, a small medical center’s new outpatient process. Joel is desperate and hurt by his ex girlfriend’s drastic choice and after talking to the inventor of this procedure Dr. Howard Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson) he decides to do the same, to erase Clementine from his mind. Joel’s memories progressively disappear but during the procedure Joel changes his mind. He doesn’t want to forget his love, he now desperately wants to remember her and starts to fight for his memories. We follow Gondry into the labyrinth of Joel’s brain by reviewing some of his strongest recollections. And inside his brain he fights against Dr. Mierzwiak and his crew (the very good team of young actors Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood) to keep Clementine in his memories.

Michel Gondry’s fast, innocent and almost homemade directing style and Charlie Kauffman’s inventive and schizophrenic writing are perfect together. They show us an interesting reflection on love and memories: without our memories we are empty, we don’t exist. This is what happens to Joel and Clementine, with no more memories of each other love, they move around empty until they find each other again.

This movie is an unpredictable, exciting and original fairytale and love story. The two main characters Joel and Clementine are wonderful together and leave us wanting their love to last forever.

The majestic interpretation of the two protagonists, Jim Carrey (interesting in a dramatic role) and the stunning Kate Winslet, one of the best actresses of our times and their chemistry makes them one of the most interesting and sweet fictional couples in Hollywood.

It’s impossible not to mention the great music of this film: the melancholic instrumental soundtrack written by Jon Brion, who has worked with director Paul Thomas Anderson and heartbreaking cover of The Korgis’ song “Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometimes” performed by Beck.

This gentle, elegant and simply beautiful movie shows us in a simple and genuine way the complex meaning inside the poem written in 1717 by the British poet Alexander Pope that inspired the title of this movie.

“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;”