Brain damage has never been so romantic!
Wouldn’t it be nice to erase a memory? Better still, forget someone altogether? That’s the premise behind director Michel Gondry’s acclaimed film starring Jim Carey and Kate Winslet.
Carey plays Joel, a shy, “puppy-dog eyes” type who falls in love with the wild and creative Clementine (Winslet), but the two experience a dysfunctional relationship, leading both of them towards a ethically-questionable procedure which can make them forget about each other.
In order for a patient to forget someone, their memory path must be erased from their brain - which Dr. Mierzwiak (a wonderful Tom Wilkinson) describes as being similar to a night of heavy drinking. However, as Joel is undergoing the procedure, he begins to realise the mistake of his hasty desire for relationship amnesia, and attempts to outsmart, or outrun, the process. Whilst a feckless bunch of stoners, who are supposed to be monitoring Joel, run amok in his apartment, Joel tries to hide Clementine within parts of his life she doesn’t belong, as the two become a fading memory.
A spectacular film, the use of imagery and blurred consciousness is utterly compelling, and Gondry’s dedication to retaining the romantic notions of memories is wonderful. Carey is sensational in this role, playing Joel in an understated way, without attaching the usual Cartoon-Carey-Character we were so used to seeing.
Winslet is brilliant as the feisty Clementine, and delivers large quantities of pathos, whilst playing her character as, shall we say, moody. The supporting cast, including Wilkinson, Kirsten Dunst, Elijah Wood, and Mark Ruffalo are given brilliant scope to add to the drama, and even develop their own importance within the story.
What stands out most about Eternal Sunshine is the intense romance which the film depicts, starting off as an allegory for dysfunctional relationships, and then becoming a thrilling race against time between two lovers.
Mesmerizing and brilliant.
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