Rarely would this reviewer dub a film a work of art, but “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” deserves to be framed and put in a gallery.
Director Michel Gondry’s latest release is a swirling tapestry that takes a story of love, fate and twisted memories and weaves them into a cinematic masterpiece.
The plot, which can be comprehended about halfway through the movie, keeps the brain working as it is revealed forward, backward and in circles. Without exposing too much, here’s the chronological rundown. Scruffy, monotonous Joel (Jim Carrey) spends two years of his life wining, dining and fighting with Clementine (Kate Winslet), a spontaneous bohemian chatterbox. When their clashing personalities ram head-on and they finally break up, Clementine takes her tainted memories of Joel to Dr. Howard Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson), who electronically erases every memory of Joel from her mind.
When Joel discovers what she has done, he decides the only way he can forget her is with a doctor’s help. Throughout his procedure, he delves back into each memory that is being erased and rediscovers their happiness together. When he attempts to bring Clementine into other memories that the doctor may not catch and zap, the film moves at roller-coaster speed, mixing up times, places and characters within Joel’s mind humorously as he attempts to save his memory of Clementine.
In one scene, Joel brings Clementine into his childhood and squats under the kitchen table, shrunken to the size of a 4 year old, while she takes on the persona of his mother’s friend as she admires her new 1950s dress.
One odd element in the story is the inclusion of three immature colleagues of Dr. Mierzwiak: Stan (Mark Ruffalo), Patrick (Elijah Wood) and Mary (Kirsten Dunst). During Joel’s procedure (performed casually in his living room and without the doctor himself), Stan and Mary distract themselves from work by partying, while Patrick runs off to see his girlfriend. You’d think performing such a dangerous medical process, which Dr. Mierzwiak refers to as “brain damage,” would be handled by professionals.
One flaw in the film, if a weakness must be found, is a neglect of character development early in the story. The movie takes off immediately in the doctor’s office with the concept that Joel and Clementine’s relationship must be erased, without first answering questions such as: What was their relationship like? Who are they? And why do we care? Later, when Joel relives his memories, we develop true feelings for the twosome and end up hoping that their togetherness will survive. But time watching the film would have been better spent if we had cared from scene one.
Joel and Clementine teach us that minor annoyances are not worth separating over if love is in the air, and more importantly, that the absence of memories is the absence of life. They got lucky by having another chance, but the film shows us that even if two people aren’t meant to be, vanquished recollections can cause a lot more damage than a broken heart.
“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” is a bit unbalanced and treats the filmstrip as a canvas more than it analyzes plot and characters. The back-and-forth nature of the scenes also brings confusion. Yet, in a broad sense, the film is a well-crafted quirky love story that reminds us of the value of memories and passion. It’s a ride worth taking — just be careful that the twisted filming styles don’t make you lose your mind.
The film is currently playing at Regal Cinema World 8 Valley River, located at 1087 Valley River Way. Like most movies in Eugene theaters, it should eventually make its way into the $1.50 theater, Cinemark Movies 12, located at 2850 Gateway St.