Kaufman's 'Eternal Sunshine' leaves a spotless impression

By Jeff Renfro

"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," the second collaboration between Charlie Kaufman and Michele Gondry, is a beautifully-crafted, innovative film with an optimistic message at its core. There is very little in this movie that is not perfect. Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet deliver performances that convey a sense of the universal longing for more that exists in everyone.

It is best to go into this movie without knowing too much about the plot, but here is a quick overview. The film begins with Joel (Jim Carrey) running away from a subway stop and jumping on a train to Montauk for reasons that are unknown even to him. He reads a dairy on the beach that is missing the last two years of entries. On the ride home, he meets a woman named Clementine (Kate Winslet), who he feels that he knows, but has no idea from where. It turns out that Joel and Clementine had dated, and after a painful breakup, erased each other from their memories. The film goes back through the process as each memory is erased in reverse chronological order. The plot is a lot simpler than it sounds.

This is the strongest script that Kaufman ("Being John Malcovich," "Adaptation") has penned. He continues his trend of delivering intelligent, off-the-wall stories that have sweet messages about life. This is Gondry's second film, his first being the disappointing "Human Nature." The script for that film was written by Kaufman and has been his only stumble so far. Gondry is an acclaimed music video director and uses his background in that field to create a unique visual style.

The most innovative, most rewarding parts of the film come while the memories are being erased. We see the characters in the memories, experiencing them, but they are aware that the memory they are inhabiting is being erased. The first (most recent) memories to be erased are fights between the two, but eventually happier memories start to fade. Toward the end of the movie, Joel and Clementine are in the memory of their first meeting. The two are enjoying this tender moment when the reality that the memory will soon be erased is realized. Clementine turns to Joel and says, "This is it Joel. It is going to be gone soon."

Jim Carrey gives a great performance. This is another serious role for him and he manages to avoid the traps of "The Truman Show." Carrey tends to play his dramatic roles as the exact opposite of his comic roles. He becomes completely straight-faced and seems to be asleep. In "Eternal Sunshine-," he finds a happy medium between his two personas. Joel is serious, but he is also a charming, funny person. Carrey plays him as a sincere, fun guy that is closer to reality than any of Carrey's other roles.

The title, taken from the poem "Eloisa to Abelard" by Alexander Pope, illustrates the beautiful, life-affirming message of the film. The characters discover that love, and life, are compromise and that the experiences of life, even those that are negative, create who we are.

Grade: A

û Contact Jeff Renfro at (408) 554-4546 or jrenfro@scu.edu.