Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Cast: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo, Kirsten Dunst and Tom Wilkinson
Director: Michael Gondry
Writer: Charlie Kaufman
Synopsis:
In the futuristic present day when a technology that can erase memory exists, a couple who had just had a bad breakup (played by Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet) decided to have their memory of the relationship erased, only to discover that it can't keep them apart. (written by yours truly)

Review:
Okay, I am such a procascinator. I have anticipated this movie way before it came out. Yet, when it came out last march, due to some procascination and bad luck (I got lost in a highway when trying to find a cinema that plays it), I managed to skip it at the cinema. Now that one year, more procascination and exams have passed, I have finally got the dvd and watched it.

Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind is truly one of the most romantic film I have ever seen. It is not romantic in the same way as a typical romantic comedy starring hugh grant / tom hanks - meg ryan. It is a rather original love story that uses science fiction to explore the the fragile nature of love, feelings, relationships and human nature. One idea that I found compelling personally is that the memory can be erased but that does not mean the feelings will go away too. There are other themes too, but saying more would spoil the movie, I would encourage this movie to be discovered on its own instead.

I would also like to talk about the great job done by french director Michael Gondry and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. In case it is not clear, this movie does not play like your typical hollywood movie and knowing who makes it would tell you why. Gondry is a very creative director - he tells the story in a non-linear fashion and he displays a huge bag of visual tricks (lots of spotlights) and beautifully melancholic cinematography. Writer Kaufman who has developed a reputation as one of the most talented screenwriter ever for his unconventional scripts, has delivered perhaps his most accessible work yet (definitely way more accessible than the slightly overrated Adaptation) . Whatever these two men do here are not for showing off but contribute to the perfect delivery of the storytelling process of the movie. They are also assisted by a great cast. Jim Carrey gives perhaps his best performance ever here. From the first time he is onscreen, you would notice that Carrey the clown is not present; Instead, Carrey does a very good character acting in this one, bringing a lot of vulnerability to the character. Kate Winslet also did well and she had great chemistry and interaction with Carrey. Elijah
Wood acted surprisingly well as a jerk.

I would definitely reccomend this movie strongly. It's very smart, original, challenging, thought - provoking and ultimately romantic rewarding experience.

Rating: 4 out of 5 (might rise to 4.5 upon repeated viewings)