An unforgettable number one!!!

1.      Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN I PRESENT TO YOU MY NUMBER ONE FILM OF THE NOUGHTIES! Yes, this is the masterpiece of all masterpieces, a film that, while not rating as one of the top grossing films, it has a huge cult following and is without a doubt one of the most critically acclaimed. I know many people who have not seen this movie, and I cannot rate it enough. Back in the day I would watch this at least once a month, I love it that much. So without further ado, I’m going to tell you the reasons why this is such a masterpiece.

Firstly let’s look at the plot. This is a film about two people, Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) and Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet), who are basically an on again off again couple. When you put it like that it makes it sound like just another romantic drama, but it’s not. This film is not just about a relationship and break up, but the ultimate attempt to escape the pain of it all. In the film Clementine has Joel removed from her memory, and upon discovering this he decides to do the same, but part way through the process he realises that he can’t stand the thought of losing her forever, and he tries to outrun the procedure before realising the inevitable, that he can’t stop it. We see their relationship as it is being removed from Joel’s mind, starting with his most recent memories of her and finishing in the day they first met. On top of that there is the subplot of the relationships between the staff of Lacuna Inc, the company erasing Joel’s memory, which leads to some major revelations that have big consequences for Joel and Clementine.

The structuring of this film is once again a strong point. If you exclude the first and last ten minutes of the film it’s entirely composed of a) Joel’s memories as they are being erased and b) the erasers as they are erasing his memory. We go back and forth between the real world and the inside of Joel’s head, often with going-ons around the unconscious Joel inadvertently bleeding into his subconscious. Joel’s memories aren’t in chronological order, as we start from his most recent and move backwards. However other small glimpses of memories jut in and out. While it is suggested that normally the patient is simply an observer as his memories are erased something goes wrong with the procedure and Joel gains consciousness within his memories. This means that while some memories play out as they originally happened others take a different path as Joel tries to outrun the erasing process, and as he discusses the inevitability of it all with the Clementine in his memories. It means you don’t just see their relationship, but you also see how Joel reacts to them and how they make him feel. You feel his pain, as all he wanted to do was escape the heartbreak, but he realises that a heart broken is better than a life never loved at all.

The artistic direction of this film plays a big part in the overall experience. Because the majority of this movie is made up of memories they used many different techniques to show the memories being deleted. While sometimes it’s simply deteriorating or distorted sound and picture quality, or limited use of stage lighting, there are many scenes there the details begin to fade away or things start falling apart. For example when walking down a street the signs begin to fade out to white and a car falls out of the sky. Similarly when in a bookstore the binding on every book on the shelf slowly fades to white. In the final memory the house in which Joel and Clementine were staying begins to fall apart and waves come crashing through, showing that the memory is ‘disintergrating’. My favourite would without a doubt be when Joel and Clementine are in bed and suddenly the room disappears and the bed is left sitting on a beach in the sand. It’s an iconic image that all fans would recognise easily. All of this just makes the film feel all the more special, as they really work to show the memories being deleted and it makes an incredibly trippy and bizarre experience.

The characters in this are brilliant. The supporting cast is made up of big names such as Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood and Tom Wilkinson, and they all do their characters justice, and Dunst in particular gives a superb performance that is vital to the film, and she is technically the third lead in the film. The limelight however is definitely reserved for Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet who give performances that would have to be seen as some of the best in their careers. Jim Carrey tries his hand at a serious role for a change, and pulls off the slightly ‘bland’ character of Joel perfectly, showing that he is actually versatile and doesn’t have to be typecast. The often sophisticated Kate Winslet pulls off the nutty, free-spirited Clementine so well, and as much as she often comes across and insane you still fall for Clementine. In fact, you often find yourself falling for them both because they are both real people, and unlike so many characters in films who often make unrealistic decisions or come across as too perfect both Joel and Clementine come across as multi-layered real people living relatively normal lives. They warm your heart with their real struggles to run away from heartbreak, and you really feel for them when they admit that to themselves and have to face up to the inevitable, that they will lose each other.

But apart from all of that there are two very warm messages at heart, one being the idea that heartbreak is better than never having loved, and the other is the idea that sometimes no matter how hard you try you can’t get someone from your heart. I’ve left this to the end because it’s spoiler filled, so if you have not seen this film yet, do not read on if you wish to get the full experience!!! I mean it! Okay. The first 10 minutes of the film are separate to the body of the film, and document the day that Joel and Clementine first meet, and their first date the following day, before the film skips forward to the point where Joel is having his memory erased. Well, at least at that point you THINK it skips forward. What you don’t realise at this point is that those beginning scenes show Joel and Clementine meeting for what they believe to be the first time, AFTER their memories have been removed. While there are clues throughout the film the average viewer probably won’t pick this up until you get to the memory of when they met and realise that it’s completely different. After this we revisit the beginning scene and see that the next day Joel and Clementine discover they’ve had the procedure and after some arguing and confusion decide to give their relationship another shot, regardless of whether they may be destined to make the same mistakes. This is my favourite thing about the film, the idea that after everything fate brings these two back together. It’s lovely and poetic, and it seriously makes me go weak at the knees.

All of this contributes to a well made, well thought out, well acted film, with a beautifully poetic message that will warm your heart. The tag line of the film says it all. ‘You can erase someone from your mind. Getting them out of your heart is another story. You’ll fall in love with the characters, you’ll relate to their pain, you’ll be touched by their struggles and ultimately you’ll be given hope by the way the world brings them back together. It’s almost as if this is a modern Shakespearian tragedy, just without all the suicide. All in all it’s an amazing amazing gorgeous movie that has huge strengths in every single area. If you do not watch this and love it then I’m not sure we can be friends. Seriously though, check it out. You might just see the world differently when you do.