I love Charlie Kaufman. If I were the stalking type, he would be in trouble.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is the fifth produced, full length screenplay by Kaufman, and it's a gem. Jim Carrey plays Joel, a nerdy shut in type, just like Charlie in Adaptation and Craig in Being John Malkovich, who's just broken up with an eccentric (possibly alcoholic) woman, Celementine, played by Kate Winslet. Joel finds out Clem had her memory of Joel erased. In a fit of grief, Joel decides he also wants the procedure done. We find out the couples history as it is slowly erased, in reverse chronological order. As the procedure goes along, Joel, in his mind, becomes aware of it, decides he wants to keep his memories, and starts to fight the procedure.
The structure of the movie is genius in many ways. By going backwards, front loading the miserable end of Joel and Clem's relationship, we end the movie feeling positive about their love for each other. By the end of the movie, we've almost forgotten the bitterness they had towards each other. And it makes perfect sense in context of the procedure and Joel's fight against it. As they go further back in time, Clem's character distorts because it's Joel's perception of her, not the real her. When the two reconnect without the knowledge of their already failed relationship, we're rooting for them to get back together.
The ending is incredible because of its ambiguity. There's a positivity surrounding Joel and Clementine's willingness to get back together. But should we be happy that they get to try again, or sad that they're doomed to repeat their mistakes?
There's more going on then just Clem and Joel. The memory-erasing company, Lacuna, and its employees have their own sub-plots going. One employee, Patrick, is a real slime ball, using the confidential memories that Joel and Clementine brought to seduce Clementine. Then there's Mary, played by Kirsten Dunst, who's obsessed with the mastermind behind Lacuna, Howard, played by Tom Wilkinson.
I just realized how solid the cast. Wilkinson, Carrey, Winslet, Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood. David Cross and Jane Adams have a couple scenes. Good actors always add to legitimacy.
Kaufman, in 4 of his 6 screenplays, resembles a depressed Woody Allen. Kaufman's lead male characters seem like a reflection of himself. Or at least the self he wrote in Adaptation. All have confidence issues, are overly hairy, quiet, slouch, and generally attempt to fade into the background. I identify with it heavily, which is why I love his work.
Review: 3+3+3+3+3 = 15