Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
In a nutshell, what we have here is a movie that is actually pretty good with its concept in an almost understated way but still overrated none the less when one considers the almost orgasmic reception that it received upon its initial release in 2004, a science fiction type love story that really isnât science fiction at all if not for a particular conceit in the form of technology that the film presents as being completely plausible and doable in the era that the film came out in which is also when the story is set. Apparently a scientist has perfected a technique whereupon when a device is fitted to the subjectâs head while asleep which is then hooked up to several computers and monitoring equipment the subjectâs memories can actually be âerasedâ from their mind (a process that no doubt would be considered unethical and immoral in our world given the potential possibilities of how it could be utilized) but what is even more incredible is that the process has now been so perfected and fine tuned that a specific traumatic memory or more to the point, memories of a person that caused traumatic emotional damage to their lives can now be completely wiped clean, allowing the subject the ability to wake up the next day with no memory of the person whom they wanted to forget about with no worse damage to the brain than as the head scientist explains âfrom a night of heavy drinking.â Of course, just because you had the MEMORY of someone erased from your consciousness doesnât mean that actual person has forgotten you and may even try to contact you (maybe a restraining order should be in tow with everyone who tries the process) but nonetheless this highly unorthodox form of therapy has seemingly been patented and approved and is presented as being available to any average citizen willing to step up and pay the money to have it done. The story itself about this processâ effect on the lives of a young couple is certainly an original idea that’s exploited to the fullest, but there are still some serious and obvious flaws throughout. Jim Carrey (his career and mental state still reeling at the time from his inability to win an Oscar and to be known as more than just a âcomedy guyâ before going off the deep end entirely in years to come) takes on the lead role as Joel, a guy who at first glance appears to be both a loser and a social misfit, but is most definitely an introvert (the polar opposite of Carreyâs established screen persona), a guy who literally needs someone else to drag him out of the house to do something with himself whether it be going to the movies or just taking out the garbage. Carrey is merely passable here, not nearly matching his acting work in either Truman Show or Man On The Moon, but then again, it’s the concept, not him, that carries the film. Before long he has an encounter with a girl named Clementine (Kate Winslet, completely and utterly shaking off her prim and proper image to play a more realistic modern day female) who waves at him upon first sight and later boldly and aggressively approaches him on the train to strike up a conversation. Itâs obvious early on that Clementine is the type of girl who goes for or just picks up guys at random mostly out of boredom and also because she loves seeing the reactions she gets from the guys upon them realizing that this (not all that unattractive) girl has suddenly started showing a real interest in them. With her multicolored hair, what the fuck attitude and obvious free spirit, it is Winslet who steals the show here with the various facets of her character. But thatâs where the script makes things extremely interesting. After having moved in together and being together for a while, Winslet decides that after having a rather run of the mill argument with Carrey, sheâs going to just go ahead and use the brain drain service to wipe away all memory of him from her mind (by what weâre told was a spontaneous decision on her part). Carrey quickly figures out that somethingâs wrong when he goes to her work and she doesnât recognize him and then when visiting with some mutual friends (a couple who argues constantly), he finally learns the truth, complete with being given the companyâs business card. Feeling that he was deceived and then betrayed by the girl he loved, Carrey turns right around and hires the same people who had erased him from Winsletâs mind (Tom Wilkinson, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood) to now perform the same process on him to also erase her from his memory forever. The major middle part of the film, the âbrain drainâ which shows snippets from Carrey and Winslet’s relationship, drags the film down very badly and could have used a little less screentime, but it really does drive home the point that the Carrey character through the course of his relationship with Winslet had become so emotionally attached and embedded with her (and seemed to know her thought processes so incredibly well) that wiping her (and his image of her) from his mind is going to cause some complications. What this amounts to is that over half of Winsletâs screentime is spent playing not her actual character but rather Carreyâs PERCEPTION of her character in his own mind, giving off the impression that he knew her so well that he would be able to picture her reactions, emotional responses and even her opinions of what was happening as the scientists (badly portrayed as being bumbling asses who even start up having a party during the process with little to no concern for Carreyâs safety or well being) continue eating up and dissolving one memory and cherished emotional connection with her after another (with Winslet still living and breathing as Carreyâs best friend in his subconscious) until nothingâs left, presumably robbing him of even the good memories that would keep him going but also of the bullshit pain that she put him through, especially since she had used the process first (and probably with less complications) to have her memories of him erased âon a whimâ. The cast also includes Kirsten Dunst as the secretary and receptionist at the brain drain clinic who basically spends most of her screen time making a fool of herself (âI’m so stoned, I’m so stoned.â) before the major twist involving her character finally makes her interesting. The filmâs ultimate moral / conclusion / point is that those who are meant to be together will do so no matter what not necessarily because of a physical connection (great sex) but rather with the mental connection instead, the idea that you would know your soulmate so well inside and out that you would know exactly what he or she would say in any given situation and always be proven right. Thereâs also the infinitely more fascinating idea that after the breakup of a long term relationship, your ex would actually continue to live on in your mind in such a way as you would prefer him or her to be, possibly even having imaginary interactions or conversations with you all while the real person that youâve split from is continuing to live on without you in the real physical world (although what level of damage that they carry with them from the split is a matter of conjecture, as is the case with Winslet here) which is why it may or may not be a good idea to have your best and only imaginary friend completely removed from your consciousness. Certainly the last scenes of the film fall a bit flat due mostly to the writing more than anything else, but the emotional possibilities that could be used here can be hard to come by when you see people reuniting who donât even realize that theyâre reuniting. Still, at the end of the day Winslet proves she’s got the charisma and acting skills to pull off âregular girlsâ better than anyone, pretty much cornering the market on those types although even as Clementine is shown as having a serious drinking problem, her overall almost complete lack of responsibility would no doubt suggest in real life a possible substance abuse problem as well which the script tap dances around because the ârealâ Clementine isnât always who we see onscreen. But Wilkinson acquits himself well here as the kindly head doctor who really thinks that heâs performing a beneficial service as Wood gamely plays a loser sleaze who would raid the home of someone while their mind is being erased and best of all the explanation of what the early scenes were about warrant a required second viewing to help pick up on all the clues that we probably missed the first time. In closing, an original concept, presented well, with some minor flawsâŚ
8/10