Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Charlie Kaufman's "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is a romantic comedy unlike many. It avoids the high school drama, college parties and one-night stands many cheap romantic comedies tend to use these days. "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" encompasses a much more complex story about losing the one you love...both physically and mentally.

Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) is shocked when he finds out that his girlfriend, Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet), had their relationship erased from her memory. She doesn't remember who he is, how she knows him, or what they did together. She doesn't remember anything.

Frustrated, Joel seeks out the creator of the process, Dr. Howard Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson), and has the same treatment applied to him. However, as the memories of him and Clementine start to fade away, Joel discovers that his love for her still remains. But is it too late?

The movie follows the journey as his memories of the two are erased, backwards in time. Simultaneously, the old memories are being replaced by the new ones, literally. The memories literally disappear while they are happening. Much of the movie encompasses these memories.

Kaufman creates a unique and twisted plot in this movie. For first-time viewers, it may be extremely confusing, but after watching it a second time, the movie makes much more sense. This set-up of the movie is what makes it confusing, but that is also what makes it unique. Not many movies make the movie a sequence of flashbacks as the character is losing them. The presence of and fading away of these memories is done very well.

The acting is also done very well. It's hard to find a role where Carrey plays a dominantly-serious role, so some may suspect his acting before seeing it. However, his acting is extremely well-done.

Finally, the movie does a good job with the ending. It doesn't reveal anything too quickly, and it keeps the viewers interested until the end. The viewers don't know what is to come, but this mysteriousness is also what may make it confusing. Viewers need to come into it with an open-mind and concentration until the end.