FILM REVIEW – “ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND” (dir. Michel Gondry) by Matt Crockford.

I remember when I first heard about this film (“another slice of genius from the mind of Charlie Kaufman”), I had just seen the brilliant “Adaptation” (dir. Spike Jonze) & like many, had seen “Being John Malkovich” (dir. Spike Jonze) before, so was eagerly anticipating the next offering from Kaufmans’ warped, but refreshingly original mind. So there I was eagerly reading about the new Kaufman script & then was shocked (& disappointed) to find out that Kate Winslet (“Quills”, “Titanic”) & Jim Carrey (“The Truman Show”, “Ace Ventura”) were attached to star (both of which, especially Winslet, whom I don’t particularly rate, I thought were poor choices, especially for this kind of film). The only plus point was that music video guru, Michel Gondry (“Human Nature”), was to direct.

That said, after watching “Human Nature”, (Gondry’s directorial debut) I lost interest & forgot about it.

It wasn’t until I saw a trailer for it before “21 Grams” (another groundbreaking film, if you haven’t seen it, finish reading this, then go & watch it) – it looked awesome!

Carrey looked back in “Truman Show” form & with an ensemble cast that included, Mark Ruffalo (“You Can Count On Me”, “In The Cut”), Kirsten Dunst (“The Virgin Suicides”, “Spiderman”), Elijah Wood (“The Ice Storm”, “Lord of the Rings”) & Tom Wilkinson (“In The Bedroom”, “Rush Hour”), this looked like a film to stand up to Gondry’s previous music video accomplishments (“Everlong” by the Foo Fighters, “The Hardest Button to Button” by the White Stripes).

Anyway, to the review, I won’t go into too many plot details (I don’t wan to ruin the experience, and this IS an experience), but it’s basically about Joel Barish (Carrey), a very normal (but painfully ordinary) guy, who, after having a fight with his girlfriend, Clementine (Winslet), discovers that she has had all memory of him erased from her mind (courtesy of Lacuna Inc.). Upon finding this, a very hurt Joel decides he will do the same & has the same treatment.

However, mid-way through the procedure Joel realises that he treasures these memories & wants the treatment to stop.

It’s just a matter of whether or not he can stop it before it’s too late.

That’s the basic premise behind “Eternal Sunshine”, in short this is a love story, just one, thought up & executed by two of the most brilliant artists working in modern-day entertainment.

For starters, Kaufmans’ script – a lot has been said about how he cannot write a top class film, from start to finish. Well, if ever there was a case to prove that statement wrong, then this is it.

The characters are fantastic – well crafted pawns in Kaufmans’ grandiose chess game. Each has their own baggage & emotion to bring to the table & we really feel for them.

As a writer myself, I found it amazing how Kaufman is able to constantly come up with original & fresh ways to show things as traditional as romance.

That said, I can’t reserve all the praise for Kaufman, for this film wouldn’t be anything without a good director & boy did he find one in Gondry. I will admit I was a bit dubious considering hi debut, but his sophomore effort blows everything else out of the water & shows us that he’s not just an extremely talented music video director, but that (with the right script!) he is a force to be reckoned with & I would now put him in the elite group of directors who are going to (hopefully!) change films & make us think a little bit more (this includes Spike Jonze, Sophia Coppola & Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu).

ANYWAY, getting away from the film, Gondry manages to make this a hauntingly beautiful & magical experience for us, getting some of the best performances I’ve ever seen from particular actors (especially, a somewhat reserved Carrey & the wonderful Winslet…did I say that? Not to forget Wood, who is suitably creepy in this). A mention must also be made for Ruffalo (who never stops impressing me with his performances & choices), Dunst (who’s now really come of age) & of course, Tom Wilkinson, who, not surprisingly, is brilliant as usual.

There’s something very childlike, yet painfully adult & real about this film, at times you’re curled up in your seat, as the visceral sea just washes over you & at others you’re gritting your teeth, frustrated as each of Joel’s memories disappear.

I won’t lie, by the end of this film I’d shed tear or two (manly ones, of course!), that’s the power of this film, it captures the pain & ecstacy of love & relationships perfectly, & I, for one, have never seen a film that shows this as well as “Eternal Sunshine” does. With a brilliant soundtrack (that boasts the likes of Beck & the Polyphonic Spree) to boot, you really can’t go wrong.

One thing to note however: if you are an ardent Jim Carrey fan & go to see this film expecting some rubber faced antics, like Ace Ventura or Dumb & Dumber or anything funny he’s ever done for that matter, then chances are you’ll hate this.

If you liked films, such as “Vanilla Sky”, “Lost in Translation” & “Memento”, then you’ll love this!

So go & see it, take your friends & just sit back & revel in the genius.

IF YOU LIKE THIS TRY: “VANILLA SKY” (dir. Cameron Crowe/stars: Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz)

“LOST IN TRANSLATION” (dir. Sofia Coppola/stars: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson)

“MEMENTO” (dir. Christopher Nolan/stars: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano)

“ADAPTATION” (dir. Spike Jonze/stars: Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper)

“21 GRAMS” (dir. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu/stars: Sean Penn, Naomi Watts)

“AMORES PERROS” (dir. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu/stars: Gael Garcia Bernal)

“L’APPARTEMENT” (dir. Gilles Mimouni/stars: Vincent Cassel, Monica Belucci)

“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” is released on DVD to buy on 28.9.04