Day 76: July 15th, 2010

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.



Best film of 2004 and a personal favourite of mine.

Yes, I love this film. It grabbed me in such a way that I cannot really describe. For a film about love and loss, it had me from the starts. The fact that it is unconventional makes me smile with glee. Eternal Sunshine is a beautiful and heartfelt film that is depressing as hell and a marvel to watch. I cannot heap enough praise on this film.

After a bad break up, Clementine decides to erase the memory of Joel, completely. This is possible at Lacuna, Inc. Joel finds this out, which is an uncommon thing for the company and he wants to same procedure. They agree to do so and we enter the surreal world of Joel's mind as he lives the good and bad memories of his time with Clementine.

Written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Michel Gondry, this is a match made in heaven. The filming style of Gondry flows beautifully with the writing and the weird and quirky story here. Very few instances of the use of CGI, Gondry shows us the imagination and creativity are always a way to get things done. The film is an inspiration in ways to look outside the box and find solutions to problems. The indie way he made this film gives it a feel as if you are there with them. As I mentioned before, Kaufman wrote the script, it's a beautiful mess. Joel's memory is being erased, but he finds himself wanting to keep certain ones, the good ones. He fights for his chance to remember and this is where the film gets strange...-r.

Jim Carrey gives his best performance to date and Kate Winslet is on top of her game as the ever changing Clementine. For a film that is emotionally draining at times, I find myself wanting to watch it again as soon as it's over. Don't get me started on the music, it's serene and eerie. A beautifully constructed emotional piece to accompany a strong story and visuals. The film gets me thinking of what I would do if this technology existed, or what my girlfriend would do. I ask her and others exactly what the tagline does....Would you erase me?

10/10