The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

"This is it, Joel. It's going to be gone soon."
"I know."
"What do we do?"
"Enjoy it."

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (from here on in to be referred to as “Eternal Sunshine”) was one those movies that was released with medium marketing support and not much fanfare, but quickly gained ranks as one of the best movies of 2004 with tremendous word of mouth and a loyal following. This film was the creation of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, who gained acclaim with his quirky Being John Malkovich and equally quirky Adaptation. Eternal Sunshine is comparable to his previous efforts as it’s not a conventional picture. Its non-linear approach, where we start from the end and end with the beginning, coupled with flashback sequences while we progress to the past and end up back in the present (if explaining that makes any sense) gives what could have been a routine love story into a poignant, original offering that touches the viewer in a sincere, heartfelt manner. A lot of people are surprised when I mention I liked a love story, but I say it doesn't matter the genre, as long as it's good is really all that matters.

Jim Carrey, who I think is one of the most underrated actors working today, plays Joel, a quiet, simple guy at the end of a relationship with Clementine, played by Kate Winslett. He discovers by accident that Clementine visited a firm called Lacuna Inc (there is even a fake website dedicated to this business, www.lacunainc.com, definitely an ingenious way of marketing a movie) to have her memory erased of the relationship she’s had with Joel. Pained by this revelation, he decides he also would like to have his memory of Clementine erased, feeling this is the only way he can deal with his loss.

Through ingenious editing and camera work (the director, Michel Gondry, says no CGI or special effects were used in the movie), we re-visit Joel & Clementine’s relationship starting at the point that their relationship falls apart, and it heads to the very beginning when they first meet. The workers of Lacuna Inc put Joel to sleep and wire-in to his brain to erase all traces of Clementine and as each memory is erased, we get to see how Joel & Clementine's history together transpires. At the beginning we see them arguing, fighting; bickering at petty issues. It’s not immediately evident why they act this way, perhaps they take each other for granted, maybe they spend too much time together or when confronted with problems couples come across, they just don’t know how to deal with them. But the journey back revisits WHY they got together and WHY they fell in love in the first place, and Joel’s conscience decides he no longer wants this procedure carried out and tries his best to stop it: maybe somehow even regain consciousness to stop the "brain damage". Joel tries to "hide" Clementine from being erased, heading to memories like those from his youth and embarassing moments in his life, and other areas he hopes Lacuna Inc can't locate her. While he journeys to these memories of the past, he is also inadvertenly opening himself up to his lover, showing her times when he was at his most vulnerable and weak. But he still continues on showing her these memories, as he realizes she is the one that he can console with, be himself with, and not feel humilated. She is his best friend, and a closeness ironically develops during a time where they will soon be apart.

My first viewing, I admit, was a bit confusing for me. I understood the premise but not that the story would be told “backwards”, so I didn’t clue in until 20 or so minutes into the film where the plot was headed. It was an interesting experiment to view this movie a second time, looking for the subtleties in the storytelling to augment the enjoyment of Eternal Sunshine. It would have been very easy to opt for a darker, gloomy ending a lot of independents go for, as it would have also been very easy to end the movie with Joel somehow recapturing his entire memory and the two go off hand-in-hand into the sunset. That would have cheapened the whole experience, but the film doesn't fall into clichés. It leaves you feeling bittersweet, but still hopeful. You like Joel & Clementine and you want to see them happy together, if it's still possible, and let's you decide for youself if you think that can happen.

The primary message of Eternal Sunshine is evident: our past experiences make us who we are and there will be a time when memories will be treasured when they currently may be looked upon with scorn or just plain forgotten. And maybe the creators wanted to help us all out, too. What do I mean by this? Perhaps during times you are unsure where your relatonship is headed, it will encourage you to revisit what brought you & your partner together and why you decided this person was going to be an intergral part of your life. In other words, helping you decide if it's worth another chance and if you decide it isn't, at least remember that those special times together should not be forgotten.