Following my recent, and accidental, trend of reviewing films written by the very talented Charlie Kaufman, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a film I watched a few months ago.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a very grounded, very real, very human film that displays the emotions we go through during a breakup -- a time that practically every person has or will experience at some point in life.
As expected from a Charlie Kaufman film, there is a bit of balance to that grounded feel, and in this case, it's the fantasy element of a high-tech startup that offers to wipe negative memories from your mind, as if they never happened. Joel (Jim Carrey) discovers that his former girlfriend had undergone the procedure to wipe him from memory decides to go through with it himself to wipe her from his own.
What ensues is a touching, incredibly heartfelt adventure into Joel's mind and past as moments both good and bad fade both in and out of view. He is placed into his own mind and reminded of the most human emotions he's ever felt; the experiences of life itself that he cherished alongside another, each as they are torn away from him forever.
Joel begins this realisation that this is not what he wants. While the past is full of sadness, they are moments that he wants to remember, regardless of how much they pain him to think of now and in the future, because in the past those moments were the happiest he's had.
In this dreamlike state, the viewer is taken along the ride throughout each moment of his past, but we're given glimpses into the present, a hint into a larger scheme of manipulation and deceit as we discover the truth and reasoning behind Joel's former girlfriend leaving him and taking on the procedure. I have to admit, it did ruin it slightly for me. I was content with the main narrative and didn't really need it to branch out and give me insights into what other people have done or are doing regarding this procedure. It was enough for me to see Joel and his experience alone. The weight behind one narrative felt enough.
That said, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is an excellent film. It is one that feels so human and can easily be related to. Rarely can a film impact the viewer enough to change their particular mindset or genuinely make an impact on their life as a result of the events, but this is a film that does, and very well.