A review of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”
I’ve never liked romance movies. Most teen romance movies make me cringe with forced dialogue, and less chemistry between the actors than angsty teen Darth Vader telling his paramour princess that he hates sand. However, The Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind is more than a romance movie. It is an odyssey through the mind of a defensive introverted man trying desperately to hold on to a fading memory. This is a sentiment that I wish I could say I can't relate to, but as a college-aged kid trying to navigate life I know the feeling all too well. This film tackles the age-old theory that ignorance is bliss, and if you could eliminate the source of your grief would you? Director Michel Gondry has an answer for you and with the help of incredible performances by the lead actor and actress, he forces you to listen.
I first saw this film on Halloween night. Instead of enjoying the spoils of the holiday dressed in a half-assed last-minute costume, I was in the comfort of my bed blinded by the light of my laptop. I could sit here and say It was a waste of time and I should've spent the night preparing a hangover for tomorrow morning, but that would be a lie. From the moment this film ended all I could think about was the fact I’ll never see it for the first time again.
Jim Carrey stars as Joel Barrish, an introverted bookworm mostly reserved in his own internal universe. However, his universe is broken into by co-star Kate Winslet as Clementine. Clementine is a more spontaneous foil to Joel Barrish. Where Joel is drearily dressed in browns and grays with a mind to match, Clementine like her name suggests is brightly dressed in all the colors in the rainbow. However, neither character is without their flaws. Joel Is withdrawn, stubborn, and emotionally unavailable preferring to hide in the safety of his journals. Clementine on the other hand is an impulsive extrovert with an alcohol dependency and mood swings. Both main characters are complex with nuance that makes them feel real. I’m sure any Barnes and Noble you walk into contain 3 or 4 Joels wandering about, only meeting your gaze briefly before awkwardly turning away. The beauty of these characters is at some point in our lives we've all been a Joel or a Clementine. I've been Joel, wasting so much time stuck on the idea of someone else, and what if, that I lost the fleeting reality of what already is. And I’ve been Clementine, impulsively drowning others in my own emotional intensity. The fact that these characters are alive and breathing does wonders for selling the story and making a fictional relationship between two imperfect individuals feel real.
The plot follows our main characters as they end their two-year relationship and attempt to reconcile their grief by eliminating their memories of each other. Through the process, Joel gets sent into his own head to confront the dying memories of his time with Clementine. The cinematography, music, and acting all contribute to selling the abstract dream sequences. Jim Carrey thrives in this act of the film, allowing each new scene to develop the character further and reveal more about the psyche of Joel. Jim’s comedic prowess also allows him to sell some of the more ridiculous sequences, whilst still delivering a heart-wrenching performance. It is in this escalating portion of the film that the director invites inspection. Every scene is filled to the brim with small details in the background that change to reflect what's going on in Joel's head. Despite the twists and turns of the story, and the grandiosity of the questions the film asks, the film still manages to remain incredibly intimate. Each scene feels like you're violating the privacy of the main characters as if you’ve found footage of the most intimate parts of a stranger's relationship.
Throughout the runtime of the film, it is evident that director Gondry utilizes the medium of cinema to its maximum potential. Every element of filmmaking is utilized to strengthen the final artistic product. One of these elements is the musical composition. Jon Brion was the main composer for this film and his simplistic piano compositions like “Peer Pressure” and “Row” only elevate the movie further. The score sounds like the quiet contemplation that comes from staring into a burning fireplace on a cold snowy night. This mixed with the winter season and the snow-covered beaches that make up a portion of this film's setting creates the perfect melancholic aesthetic. Additionally, Jon Brion's “Phone Call” somehow manages to perfectly encapsulate two of the main emotions that come with new relationships, nervousness, and excitement. The song manages to both fill you with anxiety and elation simultaneously.
The editing which was done by Valdis Oskardottir is one of the main reasons the dreamlike sequences have the impact that they do. The use of a non-linear structure in which time does not flow chronologically puts us right in the same confused mental state as Joel. This use of editing is akin to Memento by Christopher Nolan where he similarly distorts time and memory to put the audience right in the shoes of the protagonist.
This film will grab ahold of you and not let go until you’ve ridden the same emotional rollercoaster as Joel and Clementine. The arguments presented in the film are as timeless as the film itself. Grief is something to be worked through, not ignored or deleted, and it's through this work that we make some of the most important discoveries about ourselves. Regardless if you believe in soulmates and fate or not, this film will have you questioning if all the choices you've made till now were predetermined. Regardless if they were, I’m glad fate brought me to this film and I hope it guides everyone else to the snowy shores of Joel’s mind.