Back in
high school, Eternal Sunshine was my
incredible introduction to the cracked inventiveness of screenwrite Charlie
Kaufman and the striking visual magic of director Michel Gondry. It was the
combined forces of two singular auteurs, and I’d never seen the like. It blew
my little Midwestern mind, and over the years, as my exposure to and tastes in
film stretched to assorted new horizons, Eternal
Sunshine always remained as a back-pocket title to throw out when the
subject of favorite movies comes up. I rewatched for the first time in what’s
probably been at least five years, and I was struck by it anew (premise
spoilers.)
Still
reeling from his breakup with his girlfriend Clementine, Joel is horrified to
learn that she’s undergone a little-known medical procedure to have him erased
from her memory. In a fit of pique, he decides to do the same to her. But after
Joel is put under and starts to see his memories of Clementine darken and
vanish, he changes his mind. Powerless to stop the procedure, he and the
Clementine of his memory search for a safe, hidden place in his mind where she
won’t be erased.
What a
terrific example of audacious, ambitious indie weirdness. I love the concept of
Lacuna and how the film mixes its sci-fi premise with such mundanity. I love
how authentic the memories of Joel and Clementine’s relationship feel, with
oddball private jokes, pointless fights, and extraordinary moments of
connection within small incidents; you root for them to make it even as you
understand why they broke up. The visual devices used to depict the world of
Joel’s memories are great (this was before things like Hannibal or Legion, but Eternal Sunshine still pulls off some
pretty superb visuals.)
Seeing it
again, I really examined the character of Clementine, and on the whole, I
maintain that the movie does a good job with her. She can present as very Manic
Pixie Dream Girl-ish, but the film takes the time to show that 1) her
effervescence and whimsy can’t “fix” whatever needs mending in the guy she’s
seeing and 2) she’s her own kind of messed up all by herself. In fact, she
recognizes the ideas that men project onto her and expressly warns Joel against
them (it doesn’t work, and he still views her initially as more of a concept
than a person.) Joel, meanwhile, is mostly a nice guy but can also be a bit of
a Nice Guy who lets himself be pushed around and then flaunts his hurt feelings
in a mild bid to incite guilt. Though the two are very different, their being
drawn to each other makes its own sort of sense, and just as both bring good to
the relationship, both hurt it as well.
Jim
Carrey and Kate Winslet are both awesome in the lead roles. I know that
salivating over a comedic actor giving a dramatic performance is a huge thing,
but Carry is just great as Joel, and Winslet’s Clementine is a force of nature
who puts everything on the table at basically all times. The film also features
a mid-Spider-Man Kirsten Dunst and a
post-Lord of the Rings Elijah Wood
(oh, the early-2000s of it all! they listen to CDs, too,) as well as Mark
Ruffalo, Tom Wilkinson, and a brief appearance from David Cross.
Warnings
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