ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND

Clementine: This is it, Joel. It's going to be gone soon.
Joel: I know.
Clementine: What do we do?
Joel: Enjoy it.

What a dream of a film ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND is. It drifts in and out of reality, much like writer Charlie Kaufman’s first film, BEING JOHN MALKOVICH did, but this is better. It’s deeper, funnier, more moving, works more creatively, and has the one element that sets it above MALKOVICH, love at its core.

Dissatisfied with her life and wanting to move on after a long relationship ended sloppily, a young woman named Clementine undergoes a new procedure in which she has her memory of her ex-boyfriend completely erased. The boyfriend, Joel, feels the same way when he hears about her erasing, so he undergoes the procedure. Love’s a bitch, so why think about it when it hurts, right?

Herein lies the problem, and the message that ETERNAL SUNSHINE speaks of: Should love be erased? Joel and Clementine are brought to fervent life by Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet, and these are the deepest characters either have ever played. Their love is reluctant, because they aren't really compatible people. They struggle, but they really are in love. It's frustrating, but real. And after all is said and done, is it best to throw it away to avoid pain?

Director Michel Gondry brings everything together. He weaves the intricate, complicated screenplay with the two phenomenal lead performances, understated but wondrous visual effects, and a sense of permeating melancholia. As the memory-erasing team (a surprisingly fleshed out team of characters played by Mark Ruffalo, Kirsten Dunst, and Tom Wilkonson) burns through every thought Joel has about Clementine, the film takes off. As the 'erasers' dig deeper into his psyche, Joel realizes he doesn't want to lose the best, even if they're bittersweet, moments of his life.

ETERNAL SUNSHINE hits on every field. Subtle but undeniably moving performances by a quiet Jim Carrey and lively Kate Winslet reflect one of the basic themes of the movie: erase the dark memories or leave them in the light? It is an exceptional romance at the core of an exceptional fantasy, one where the special effects are impressive but subtle and don't ever take over the viewer's attention.

What a ride. Great performances. True love that refuses to be split up even when memory is gone. An extraordinary script that gets better the farther from the constraints of reality. ETERNAL SUNSHINE is a masterpiece. Anyone who has experienced hard losses or been in love should see this.

A+