From the trailer to the promotional posters, it was clear that Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind would be more than just another run-of-the-mill romantic comedy. In fact, the 2004 film was so unique, it's a struggle to try to fit it into any preconceived genre. Coming from Michel Gondry, a director known for taking creative risks, Eternal Sunshine still commands our attention today - five years after its original release.
The story centers on two people trying to cope with a breakup. Impulsively, Clementine (Kate Winslet) decides to go through with an overnight procedure that will completely erase her ex, Joel (Jim Carrey) from her memory. When this information is leaked to Joel, he retaliates by going through with the very same procedure. We follow him as he consults the clinic, with its own batch of wacky, troubled employees (Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood, Kirsten Dunst and Tom Wilkinson), and takes the trip down memory lane to find out that perhaps forgetting is not all it is cracked up to be.
Though the premise could have easily taken the film into sci-fi territory, the actors firmly ground Eternal Sunshine in reality. Each performance from the relatively small cast captivates with honesty - these are real, living people on screen, not mere caricatures. Winslet as rash and scatterbrained Clementine is pitch perfect - her disarming wit and spunk drive the film. Carrey's take as Joel is much more contested. Many complained during the original release that he lacked the depth to play a character as complex as Joel. But none of Carrey's typical quirks seen time and again in films like Liar, Liar and Bruce Almighty surface in Eternal Sunshine - he creates an entirely fresh character and for that, he deserves some recognition. The supporting cast - Ruffalo, Dunst, Wood, and Wilkinson - fleshes out the story with strong and touching performances.
Gondry's genius directorial style also lent the film accolades. He took Charlie Kaufman's richly mosaic and innovative script recounting the course of a relationship in reverse and pushed its limits even further. As a result, Eternal Sunshine looks like absolutely no other film. Gondry crafts a conception of the brain and memories that's strikingly unconventional; objects collapse in on one another and disappear suddenly as Joel's memories of Clementine are excised from his mind.
Eternal Sunshine's gut-wrenching honesty and imaginative direction make the film great, but these are not the only reasons why we still care about it five years later. Like a classic work of art, Gondry's masterpiece possesses the ultimate gift of review - the film should be seen again and again, and each time, the viewer might discover something new. A film that grows and expands with new meaning each viewing. Now, that's something to talk about.
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